Kolkata, May 10: Investigators probing the murder of West Bengal CM Suvendu Adhikari’s close aide Chandranath Rath have found a key lead in the form of a UPI transaction made at a toll plaza in Howrah, an officer said on Sunday.
The silver car allegedly used in the killing crossed the Bally toll plaza shortly before the attack, and the occupants paid the toll through UPI, he said.
“The UPI transaction helped the investigators identify a mobile number linked to one of the suspects. CCTV footage from the toll plaza also captured images of the vehicle and its occupants,” he added.
Rath was shot dead in Madhyamgram’s Doharia Lane, around 7 km from Kolkata airport, on the night of May 6, in what BJP leaders described as a “planned assassination”. The murder, which happened two days after the BJP won a landslide mandate in the assembly elections, bringing down the Mamata Banerjee-led government of 15 years, triggered a furore in the state.
Rath’s SUV was intercepted by the silver car near his residence, following which armed men on two-wheelers opened fire at point-blank range, according to police.
After the attack, the assailants abandoned the silver car and fled in a red car and a motorcycle. Two motorcycles linked to the crime were later found, one near the spot and another in Barasat, around 6 km away. The registration plates of all the vehicles were allegedly forged, and their engine and chassis numbers were tampered with, police said.
Investigators have also identified the weapon allegedly used in the murder as an Austrian-made Glock 47X pistol, a sophisticated firearm whose use has rung alarm bells among both state and central intelligence agencies.
“A Glock pistol is not easily available in India. Its use prompted investigators to examine whether there could be any international or cross-border link behind the crime,” an officer said. Agencies are also examining whether any foreign hostile network could have used Bangladesh as a transit route, he said. Investigators believe the killing bore the hallmarks of a professionally executed contract murder.
An officer associated with the probe said the attackers appeared to have conducted extensive reconnaissance before carrying out the operation. (PTI)
