Three men have been arrested in connection with the murder of Chandranath Rath, personal assistant to West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari, after investigators tracked a UPI payment made at a toll plaza near Kolkata.
The arrests were carried out during a joint operation involving West Bengal, Uttar Pradesh and Bihar Police. The accused have been identified as Vishal Srivastava, Raj Singh and Mayank Mishra, per an NDTV report. Police said the suspects were traced to Bihar and Uttar Pradesh after CCTV footage captured a crucial digital payment trail.
Also Read | Who was Chandranath Rath? Suvendu Adhikari's PA shot dead in Kolkata
UPI payment helped crack the case
According to investigators, Rath was returning home on Wednesday night when his Mahindra Scorpio was intercepted near his residence in Madhyamgram in North 24-Parganas district. He was seated in the front passenger seat when assailants allegedly opened fire at point-blank range between 10 pm and 10.10 pm.
Police said the SUV was blocked by a silver Nissan Micra before bike-borne attackers carried out the shooting. The accused later abandoned the Micra and escaped using another car and motorcycles, NDTV reported.
During the investigation, police tracked the movement of the suspects through CCTV footage and toll booth records. Officials found that the accused had made a UPI payment while crossing a toll plaza near Bally.
Police said all three arrested men were travelling in the same vehicle at the time, and the digital transaction became the key breakthrough in identifying them, per NDTV report.
Stolen vehicles and fake plates
Investigators have recovered two motorcycles and seized the Nissan Micra allegedly used in the crime. Police believe the vehicles were stolen and the Micra carried a fake number plate.
“The four-wheeler used in the crime has been seized, but it is being reported that the number plate is fake and has been tampered with,” Bengal DGP Siddh Nath Gupta had said after the incident.
Police said Vishal Srivastava has over 15 criminal cases against him, including murder and robbery.
Reacting to the killing, Adhikari had called it a “pre-planned” and “cold-blooded murder”.
“He was killed because he was my aide and I defeated Mamata Banerjee in Bhabanipur. This could be the reason for his murder...” Adhikari said after meeting Rath’s family.
