Police have arrested a man nearly 46 days after the murder of a secondary examination student in Murshidabad. The accused, identified as Bapi Mandal, is the paternal cousin’s grandfather of the deceased teenager Sahin Mandal. He is a resident of Panjrapara village under Sagarpara police station in Domkal.

Sagarpara police arrested Bapi on Sunday night. When he was produced before the Murshidabad Chief Judicial Magistrate (CJM) Court on Monday, the court ordered seven days of police custody for further investigation.

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Sahin Mandal had been missing since the night of January 19. The next afternoon, on January 20, his body with a slit throat was recovered from an onion field located some distance from his home. According to family members, Bapi had come to Sahin’s house after the body was recovered and even expressed condolences to the family. He reportedly cried while embracing the body, which made people believe he had no connection with the crime.

The deceased’s father, Ramzan Ali Mandal, said, “Police are investigating the matter.”

Police sources said investigators had noticed several inconsistencies in Bapi’s statements and behaviour during questioning. He allegedly tried to mislead the investigation and did not cooperate fully with the police.

An investigating officer said that police had been monitoring Bapi’s movements and behaviour since the incident. Evidence found at the crime scene, along with information obtained through technology, reportedly pointed towards his involvement in the murder, following which he was arrested.

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During the preliminary investigation, police suspect that Sahin had developed a relationship with Bapi’s wife. Investigators believe that after learning about the relationship, Bapi may have murdered Sahin by slitting his throat. However, police are still trying to determine whether he committed the murder alone or hired someone to carry it out.

Investigators are also examining whether the murder took place elsewhere before the body was dumped in the onion field, and whether anyone helped the accused.

Domkal SDPO Shubham Bajaj said, “Investigators will try to uncover the real reason for the murder and the complete mystery of the incident by taking the accused into their custody and interrogating him.”