Varanasi: The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on Friday took custody of Gyanendra Pratap Singh alias Mannu, the prime accused in the May 6 murder of Chandranath Rath, personal assistant to West Bengal chief minister Suvendu Adhikari, from Mau jail after completing the legal formalities.Ballia district govt counsel (Criminal) Sanjeev Singh said the accused was taken to West Bengal late Friday. A report submitted by the Mau jail administration informing the Ballia court of the development was placed before the court on Saturday.Gyanendra, who faces 12 criminal cases, had surrendered before a Ballia court on June 4 in connection with a Gangsters Act case. Singh said the CBI secured his transit on the basis of a warrant issued by the Additional Chief Judicial Magistrate (ACJM), North 24 Parganas, Barasat, Kolkata.Investigators believe Gyanendra masterminded the murder plot, allegedly arranging the second-hand Nissan Micra car used in the crime and procuring the arms and ammunition. He came under the CBI’s radar following the arrests of Rajkumar Singh from Ballia and Vinay Rai alias Pumpum from Ghazipur.Based on leads gathered during the investigation, the CBI, with assistance from the UP STF, arrested Naveen Singh in Ballia on the night of May 19. Acting on his disclosure, the agency 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 May 20.During interrogation, Naveen allegedly told investigators that on May 7, Gyanendra, Rajkumar Singh and Golu Singh arrived at his residence in a car and handed him a bag containing the weapons, asking him to keep it in safe custody. Naveen said he panicked after seeing reports of Rajkumar’s arrest and subsequently concealed the bag in his warehouse along NH-31.Before taking Gyanendra to Bengal, the CBI had already shifted Rajkumar Singh, Vinay Rai alias Pumpum, Golu Singh and Naveen there as part of its ongoing investigation into the murder case.
