Kolkata, The West Bengal Police on Monday arrested three persons from Uttar Pradesh and Bihar in connection with the killing of Chandranath Rath, an aide of Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari, after investigators pursued leads from a UPI transaction made at a toll plaza by one of the suspects.
Investigators described the development as a “breakthrough”.
The three accused were remanded to 13-day police custody after they were brought to West Bengal and produced before a court in North 24 Paraganas district, an officer said.
The three accused were detained on Sunday and arrested this morning by the Special Investigation Team constituted to probe the murder that occurred in North 24 Parganas district’s Madhyamgram area on the night of May 6.
“This is a breakthrough. The investigation indicated that the assailants were from outside West Bengal. Based on technical surveillance, digital tracking and other inputs, members of the SIT were sent to Uttar Pradesh and Bihar. They arrested the three persons from UP and Bihar. They have been brought to West Bengal on transit remand,” the officer told PTI.
Investigators traced “digital clues and interstate links” in the case, he said.
During the probe, it emerged that a car, suspected to have been used by the attackers, had crossed the Bally toll plaza before the murder, said the officer, adding that one of the occupants allegedly paid the toll through a UPI transaction.
“That digital payment helped investigators identify a mobile number and establish the identity of one of the suspects. The trail eventually led our team to the accused,” the officer said.
The SIT sleuths were matching the identities of the arrested men with CCTV footage and images of the vehicle and its occupants captured at the toll plaza, he said.
“The three were produced before the Barasat court in North 24 Parganas district, and were remanded to 13-day police custody,” the officer said.
The court asked the police to produce them again on May 24, he said.
The Special Investigation Team prayed for two weeks’ police custody of the accused, he said.
The three were charged with murder, possession of illegal arms, criminal conspiracy, and suppression of evidence under various sections of BNS, he said.
“Two accused – Mayank Raj Mishra and Vicky Maurya – were detained from Buxar in Bihar, while the third one, Raj Singh, was detained from Ballia on Sunday. After interrogation, all three were arrested this morning,” a senior police officer said.
Earlier, the police had wrongly identified Vicky Maurya as Vishal Srivastava, and also claimed that all three were arrested from Uttar Pradesh.
At least eight people were involved in the conspiracy and execution of the murder, he said.
The police believe that the attackers had carried out detailed reconnaissance before targeting Rath, he said.
“The murder was executed with meticulous planning. The assailants had taken several measures to conceal their identities and movements. Investigators have been relying heavily on digital footprints, CCTV footage and technical evidence to find out the sequence of events,” the officer said.
The interrogation of the arrested persons is underway, he said.
Two days after the declaration of the fiercely fought West Bengal assembly poll results, Rath was shot dead in Madhyamgram.
The SIT continued to conduct raids in multiple areas across West Bengal to trace the remaining suspects, the officer added.
This article was generated from an automated news agency feed without modifications to text.
