Kolkata: The plot to assassinate Chandranath Rath, the personal assistant to Bengal CM Suvendu Adhikari, was put into motion in Dec 2025, when cash movement began for the operation.Investigators claimed to have established the timeline and operational outline of the conspiracy after seizing crucial documents and mobile phones from two brothers, who were arrested in the case earlier last week and produced in a court on Friday.Sagar Sonkar and Sahib Sonkar — the first arrests from Bengal — have been remanded in CBI custody for seven days.An analysis of call detail records directly linked the suspects to a hired gunman and revealed how responsibility for delivering cash payments to the shooters was assigned late last Dec, providing key physical evidence to help map out the entire plot.The plan was forced into multiple delays before its eventual execution on May 6, when motorcycle-borne assailants opened fire on Rath near Madhyamgram in North 24 Parganas.Investigators claimed the Sonkar brothers were long-time close associates of Rath, who had previously worked with an elected lawmaker from a rival political party until 2020.Financial investigations revealed that nearly Rs 40 lakh was allegedly routed through the Sonkar brothers to sharpshooters hired from Uttar Pradesh. Call detail records also demonstrated that while working directly alongside Rath, Sagar maintained regular communication with the office of a rival political party through landline calls.However, CBI is still working to determine the identity of the person who issued the final order for the killing. So far, central agency investigators have arrested six alleged sharpshooters in connection with the assassination. Three alleged middlemen are also in custody.
