Varanasi: The CBI on Thursday arrested another accused in the May 6 murder of Chandranath Rath, personal assistant to West Bengal CM Suvendu Adhikari, in Ballia.After seeking the transit remand from the court of the Chief Judicial Magistrate, the CBI team took the accused, Golu Singh, to West Bengal, said the district govt counsel (criminal) Sanjeev Singh.Meanwhile, the prime accused, Gyanendra, surrendered before a local court on Thursday afternoon in connection with an earlier case registered against him under the Gangsters Act.The district govt counsel said the Mau jail administration also submitted its report before the CJM court, mentioning that Navin Singh, who was arrested on May 20 with five firearms allegedly used in the killing of Rath, has been transferred to Dum Dum Central Correctional Home.After the CBI, with the assistance of the STF’s Varanasi field unit, arrested Navin from the Bisunepur area on the night of May 19, officials recovered a 9 mm pistol, two .32-bore pistols, two revolvers, 45 live cartridges, nine empty shells and a mobile phone from a warehouse on NH-31 on May 20 based on his disclosure.During interrogation, Navin allegedly revealed that on May 7, Gyanendra of Sheetal Dawani, along with Rajkumar and Golu Singh, had arrived at his house in a car and handed him a bag containing the weapons for safekeeping. He further told investigators that after learning about Rajkumar’s arrest through news reports, he panicked and concealed the bag in his warehouse along NH-31.After rejection of Navin’s bail, the Ballia CJM court on May 20 had sent him to Mau jail on 14-day judicial remand. The lawyers in Ballia were expecting that the CBI team would arrive at the local court to complete formalities of taking Navin to WB for producing before the court of the ACJM concerned. When Navin did not appear physically on May 2 and also through video conferencing his lawyers started making hue and cry.The DGC said, “On Thursday, a report of the Mau district jail superintendent dated June 2 was produced before the court, clearing that after completion of necessary legal formalities to produce him before the court of ACJM North-24 Pargana Barsat Kolkata on May 24 he was sent there and lodged at Dum Dum Central Correctional Home.”When these developments were taking place in CJM court on Thursday, Gyanendra, against whom 12 criminal cases are lodged, appeared before the court of ADJ (Gangsters Act) Harish Kumar and surrendered in a case lodged against him under sections of Gangsters Act in 2023. The court ordered to send him to jail in 14-day judicial custody.Following Thursday’s development, the total number of arrests made in the Rath murder case from east UP reached to four. Before Golu and Navin, Rajkumar Singh was also arrested from Ballia, while Vinay Rai alias Pumpum from Ghazipur on May 19. Gyanendra allegedly managed the entire plot of killing by buying a second-hand Nissan Micra car and arranging arms and ammunition used in the crime.
