Trinamool leader held in murder case of Kolkata gold trader, links to mastermind BDO under probe

Kolkata, Nov 13 The police have arrested a Trinamool Congress block president from Cooch Behar district, marking the third arrest in the alleged murder of a gold trader in West Bengal, a crime purportedly masterminded by a Block Development Officer (BDO), officials said on Thursday.

The accused TMC leader, identified as Sajal Sarkar, is reportedly a close associate of Rajganj BDO Prashant Barman, who stands accused of planning the murder, with police currently probing the extent of his involvement.

The arrest follows the earlier detentions of the BDO’s driver, Raju Dhali, and his friend, Tufan Thapa, bringing the total number of arrests to three in the murder case of the gold trader, Swapan Kamilya.

According to police, Dhali and Thapa have reportedly confessed to the murder during interrogation and implicated BDO Barman, against whom the deceased gold trader’s family filed a formal complaint on November 6.

The BDO, however, has denied all the allegations in connection with the murder.

Police investigation into the murder of the gold trader from West Midnapore revealed that the accused had arrived in a blue-beacon car on October 28 at the victim’s shop at Duttabad in the Salt Lake area of Kolkata.

The police said that Kamilya was fatally beaten with a belt and a stick inside the shop. He reportedly collapsed and lost consciousness after being assaulted by the accused.

The accused soon realised that the victim had died from the assault. His body was subsequently moved into the car and dumped near a canal bank in Jatragachi, New Town. The body was recovered the next day.

Reports suggest that the BDO left the city a day after the murder, and the arrested driver, Raju Dhali, allegedly drove him to Dum Dum Airport in the same vehicle used to dispose of the body.

The police had earlier announced the arrest of Rajganj BDO’s driver, Raju Dhali, and his associate, Tufan Thapa.

On November 6, the family of the deceased businessman had lodged a complaint with the police in Jalpaiguri district, accusing the Rajganj BDO of kidnapping and murdering Kamilya.

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