Three Arrested in Murder of Bengal CM Aide Chandranath
Police trace accused through UPI payment after killing of Suvendu Adhikari’s personal assistant
- Three accused arrested from Bihar and Uttar Pradesh
- UPI toll payment helped police track suspects
- Chandranath Rath was shot dead near his home in Madhyamgram
- Suvendu Adhikari calls murder “cold-blooded” and “pre-planned”
GG News Bureau
Kolkata, 11th May: Three people have been arrested in connection with the murder of Chandranath Rath, the personal assistant of West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari.
The arrests were made during a joint operation involving the West Bengal, Uttar Pradesh and Bihar police.
The accused have been identified as Vishal Srivastava, Raj Singh and Mayank Mishra.
Police said the suspects were traced after investigators tracked a UPI payment made at a toll booth in Bally near Kolkata.
According to investigators, all three accused were travelling in the same vehicle and used digital payment at the toll plaza, which became a crucial lead in identifying and locating them.
Rath Shot Dead Near Home
Chandranath Rath was shot dead at point-blank range on Wednesday night while returning home in Madhyamgram in North 24 Parganas district.
Police said Rath was seated in the front passenger seat of his Mahindra Scorpio SUV when his vehicle was intercepted less than 200 metres from his residence.
Initial investigations revealed that a silver Nissan Micra blocked Rath’s SUV before bike-borne assailants opened fire on him.
The attackers later abandoned the Micra and escaped using another red car and a motorcycle.
Police officials said the arrested men are believed to be professional killers.
Investigators said Vishal Srivastava, who is from Buxar in Bihar, has more than 15 criminal cases against him, including murder and robbery charges.
The accused are expected to be produced before a court in Barasat.
Fake Number Plate, Stolen Vehicles Used
Police have recovered two motorcycles and seized the Nissan Micra allegedly used in the crime.
Investigators suspect that the vehicles used during the murder were stolen and that the Micra carried a fake number plate.
West Bengal DGP Siddh Nath Gupta had earlier said the number plate appeared tampered with.
Police also traced one of the recovered bikes to its registered owner and found that it had been stolen.
Adhikari Calls Killing ‘Premeditated’
Suvendu Adhikari described the murder as a “pre-planned” and “cold-blooded” attack and alleged that the assailants had conducted surveillance for several days before the killing.
“He was killed because he was my aide and I defeated Mamata Banerjee in Bhabanipur. This could be the reason for his murder,” Adhikari claimed.
The Chief Minister also alleged that the political atmosphere after the 2026 Assembly elections may have contributed to the attack.
Rath’s mother Hasirani Rath accused the All India Trinamool Congress of being responsible for her son’s death.
“I hold the TMC responsible, it’s their gundagardi,” she said.
The Trinamool Congress has not officially responded to the allegations so far.
