THE JHARKHAND STORY DESK
Kolkata, May 11: Three men have been arrested and two others detained from the Bihar-Uttar Pradesh border in connection with the murder of West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari’s personal assistant, Chandranath Rath.
Sources said the Special Investigation Team (SIT), formed to probe the high-profile murder, carried out raids at two locations in Bihar and Uttar Pradesh on Sunday and made the arrests. The accused are being brought to Calcutta on transit remand.
The West Bengal Police is yet to issue an official statement on the arrests.
Accused Picked Up from Buxar
The arrested men have been identified as Mayank Sharma, Vicky Singh and Rajbir Singh. They, along with two others, were picked up from Buxar along the Bihar-Uttar Pradesh border.
All five were brought to Bhabani Bhawan in Kolkata for interrogation, following which the three were formally arrested.
The accused are expected to be produced before a court later on Monday.
Police suspect that Mayank Sharma conducted the recce before the murder of Chandranath Rath.
Chandranath Rath Was Shot Dead in Madhyamgram
Rath was killed on the night of May 6, around 200 metres from his residence in Madhyamgram in North 24-Parganas district.
He was returning from Nizam Palace on AJC Bose Road, where Suvendu Adhikari had an office while serving as the Leader of the Opposition in the West Bengal Assembly.
Rath died on the spot, while the SUV driver, Buddhadeb Bera, sustained critical injuries and was hospitalised.
Assailants Chased Vehicle for 7 Kilometres
Investigators said the attackers had chased Rath’s vehicle for nearly seven kilometres before carrying out the attack.
The meticulous planning and swift execution of the murder led police to suspect the involvement of sharpshooters from outside West Bengal.
As part of the investigation, members of the SIT travelled to Uttar Pradesh, Bihar and Odisha to identify and track the suspects.
Police have also recovered e-receipts of payments made at toll plazas, which are believed to have helped investigators trace the accused.