CBI Arrests Suspect in Killing of Suvendu Adhikari Aide in Kolkata

A suspect identified as the main shooter in the murder of West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari’s personal assistant has been arrested by the Central Bureau of Investigation. The accused, Rajkumar, was apprehended in Muzaffarnagar, Uttar Pradesh, and will be produced before a special court in Kolkata.

The victim, Chandranath Rath, was shot near his residence in Madhyamgram on the night of May 6. He and his driver were attacked by armed assailants who arrived on motorcycles and in a car. Rath, a former Indian Air Force employee, died from his injuries in the hospital. The killing occurred shortly after the results of the state's assembly elections were declared.

Investigators say the assailants used vehicles with forged registration plates and tampered engine numbers. A trail of evidence, including a digital payment at a toll booth, led to the earlier arrests of three other individuals from Bihar and Uttar Pradesh. Those suspects, identified as Mayank Raj Mishra, Vicky Maurya, and Raj Singh, have been remanded to police custody until May 24. The court has approved adding charges related to the alleged destruction of evidence in their case.