Suvendu Adhikari aide murder case: CBI arrests fifth accused from Varanasi

The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on Tuesday arrested a fifth accused in the murder of Chandranath Rath, former personal assistant to West Bengal chief minister Suvendu Adhikari, as the agency widened its probe into what it believes was a “planned and organised conspiracy”.

The latest arrest was made in Uttar Pradesh’s Varanasi, where the central agency nabbed 40-year-old Vinay Rai alias Pumpum Rai, a resident of the Zamani area in Ghazipur district.

The development came a day after the CBI arrested the alleged main shooter, Rajkumar Singh, from Muzaffarnagar in Uttar Pradesh with the assistance of the Uttar Pradesh Police.

According to CBI sources, Rajkumar Singh, a resident of Chhapar in Uttar Pradesh, had been on the run after the killing. Investigators first raided a house in Delhi’s Swaroop Nagar area, but failed to trace him there. He was eventually apprehended near a toll plaza on the Haridwar-Delhi Highway during a joint operation by the CBI and local police.

Officials suspect Rajkumar was attempting to flee through Delhi and Haridwar when he was intercepted.

The agency said Rajkumar’s name surfaced during the interrogation of two earlier arrested accused — Mayank Raj Mishra and Raj Singh. Following his detention, he was brought to Kolkata on transit remand and produced before a special CBI court on Tuesday.

Meanwhile, three accused — Mayank Raj Mishra, Vicky Maurya and Raj Singh — have been remanded to police custody till 24 May.

Rath, 41, a former Indian Air Force personnel, was shot dead in Madhyamgram in North 24-Parganas on the night of 6 May, barely 48 hours after the announcement of the West Bengal assembly election results.

Investigators said Rath was seated in the front passenger seat of a car when motorcycle-borne assailants opened fire before fleeing the spot. The driver of the vehicle was also injured in the attack.

Both were rushed to hospital, where doctors declared Rath dead.

The West Bengal Police had initially formed a Special Investigation Team (SIT) and arrested multiple accused from Uttar Pradesh and Bihar, including an alleged sharpshooter from Buxar. Given the gravity of the case, the investigation was later handed over to the CBI.

After taking over the probe, the agency re-registered the case under multiple provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), including Section 103(1) for murder, Section 61(1) for criminal conspiracy and Section 111(2)(a) dealing with organised crime. Sections 25 and 27 of the Arms Act were also invoked.

The case was initiated on the basis of a complaint filed by Rath’s brother, who alleged that the killing was part of a “planned and organised conspiracy” involving several unidentified persons.

Public prosecutor advocate Bivas Chatterjee told the court that the prosecution had sought additional charges related to destruction of evidence. The court subsequently accepted the plea.

Chief minister Suvendu Adhikari had visited Rath’s residence on Sunday to attend the funeral service and assured the family that the accused would not be spared.

“I have faith in the chief minister,” Rath’s mother, Hasirani Rath, said after the visit.

With IANS inputs