How a UPI toll payment led Bengal cops to suspects in Chandranath Rath murder
LUCKNOW: A UPI payment made at a toll plaza on Nivedita Setu has emerged as the crucial breakthrough in the cops into the murder of Chandranath Rath, a close aide of West Bengal opposition leader Suvendu Adhikari, with police arresting three suspects from Uttar Pradesh and Bihar and indicating that at least eight people were involved in the conspiracy and execution of the killing.Chandranath Rath, a former Indian Air Force personnel who served as Adhikari’s personal assistant, was shot dead near his residence in Madhyamgram in North 24 Parganas district on the night of May 6.A Special Investigation Team (SIT) probing the murder said the accused were tracked through digital surveillance, CCTV footage and interstate technical inputs, leading investigators across West Bengal, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Jharkhand and Odisha.
“This is a breakthrough. The investigation indicated that the assailants were from outside West Bengal. Based on technical surveillance, digital tracking and other inputs, SIT teams were sent to Uttar Pradesh and Bihar. Three persons have been arrested and one of them is suspected to be a sharpshooter,” a senior officer said.Police said Mayank Raj Mishra and Vicky Maurya were detained from Buxar in Bihar, and a Uttar Pradesh resident, including Raj Singh, who was detained from Ayodhya’s Kotwali area.Police sources said Raj Singh, originally from Ballia, is suspected to have links with the logistics network used in the crime.According to police, the breakthrough came after police traced a UPI transaction made at the Bally toll plaza on Nivedita Setu shortly before the murder.One of the occupants of the suspected getaway car allegedly paid the toll digitally instead of using cash or FASTag, enabling investigators to identify a mobile number linked to the accused.“That digital payment helped investigators establish the identity of one of the suspects. The trail eventually led our teams to Uttar Pradesh and Bihar,” the officer said.Police said the murder appeared to have been carried out with “military-style precision” after days of reconnaissance.Cops believe Rath’s SUV was intercepted near the Doharia area close to Madhyamgram crossing by a car fitted with fake number plates, while motorcycle-borne assailants pulled up alongside and opened fire at close range.Sources said the silver-coloured hatchback used in the ambush may have been procured from Jharkhand. The SIT is now probing a wider interstate network allegedly involved in reconnaissance, logistics, shelter and movement of the shooters.“The murder was executed with meticulous planning. The attackers took several measures to conceal their identities and movements. We are relying heavily on digital footprints, CCTV footage and technical evidence to reconstruct the sequence of events,” the officer said.Police have recovered the suspected getaway car and two motorcycles used in the attack from different locations near Kolkata airport and Barasat. All three vehicles allegedly carried fake number plates.Multiple raids are continuing across Bengal and outside the state to trace the remaining accused.Reacting earlier to Rath’s killing, Suvendu Adhikari had termed it a “premeditated murder”, alleging that his aide was targeted because of his proximity to him.“This was a planned operation. A recce was conducted for several days and the victim was followed before being shot at close range,” Adhikari had said.The Trinamool Congress has demanded a court-monitored CBI probe into the murder, while the West Bengal Congress also sought an independent investigation under judicial supervision.
