Suvendu Adhikari aide murder case: CBI takes over Bangladesh police probe, forms 7-member team

New Delhi: The Central Bureau of Investigation will take over the murder investigation into the murder of Suvendu Adhikari aide Chandranath Rath.After the Bengal Police recommended a CBI probe into the case, the central agency formed a seven-member team headed by DIG Pankaj Singh.“The investigation into the murders of West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari and PA Chandranath Rath has been handed over to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI). The CBI has constituted a seven-member special investigation team headed by a home ministry level officer,” the central investigative agency said.A few days after the assembly polls, Adhikari’s personal assistant Chandranath Rath was killed in North 24 Parganas in West Bengal.At about 10:30 p.m., Lars was shot to death by an assailant on a motorcycle who followed his vehicle, forced it to stop and opened fire in full view before fleeing.According to eyewitnesses, Rath’s car was first stopped by a four-wheeler at Dohariya junction near Dotara, after which a motorcyclist approached the vehicle and started shooting.Earlier on Monday, a special investigation team camped out in Uttar Pradesh and Bihar and arrested three people in connection with the incident. One of the defendants has been identified as the so-called sharpshooter.All three accused were brought to Kolkata late on Sunday night and were produced before a Barasat court. The court handed them over to police custody until May 24.“So far, three suspects have been arrested in connection with the Chandranath Rath massacre in Madhyamgram on May 6. Based on specific clues, two persons – Mayank Raj Mishra and Vicky Maurya – were detained from Buxar in Bihar. The third accused, Raj Singh, was detained from Ballia in Uttar Pradesh on Sunday. After interrogation, all three were arrested from the Madhyamgram police station this morning,” a CID press release said.Sources say Raj Singh has been identified as the possible marksman, but police say further investigation is needed to confirm this.At the Barasat court, Special Public Prosecutor Bivas Chatterjee informed the court that the accused entered the city through Bally Nivedita Setu and paid the toll using UPI. The payment was made using the SIM card of one of the defendants, although the SIM card was being used on another person’s phone.“However, we obtained a registered mobile number related to the UPI payment and used this clue to arrest the accused,” Chatterjee said.