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The CBI on Monday arrested Raj Kumar Singh, also known as Raj Singh, in connection with the murder of West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari’s aide
Chandrakant Rath, officials said. Singh, identified as a key accused in the case, was arrested from Muzaffarnagar in Uttar Pradesh by a CBI team, they added. Rath, who served as Adhikari’s personal assistant, was shot dead in Madhyamgram on May 6, just two days after the announcement of the closely contested West Bengal Assembly election results. According to police, the attackers executed the operation in barely 50 seconds, with a silver-coloured hatchback allegedly intercepting Chandrakant Rath’s vehicle before bike-borne assailants opened fire at close range.
The investigation was recently handed over to the CBI after being transferred from the West Bengal Police following a request from the state government.
The central agency has now formed a seven-member Special Investigation Team under a Deputy Inspector General (DIG) from its Special Crime branch in Delhi. The team includes experienced officers drawn from multiple CBI units and is tasked with leading the high-profile probe.
Fake Number Plates, UPI Payment Brought a Breakthrough
Earlier, the Special Investigation Team (SIT) had recovered two motorcycles linked to the crime, one found near the airport area and another near rail gates 11 and 12 in Barasat. Preliminary findings suggest that both the bikes and the red hatchback used in the attack were stolen vehicles fitted with fake number plates to evade detection.Investigators also made a key breakthrough after tracing a UPI payment made at the Nivedita Setu toll plaza on May 6. Police said the digital footprint helped them track movement linked to Jharkhand, where the silver hatchback used in the murder is suspected to have been procured.
Sources said the attackers deliberately avoided FASTag and instead used a direct digital payment, which allowed investigators to trace the vehicle’s movement into Kolkata.
(With inputs from Agencies)
