Kolkata: Double-murder mastermind identified, 3 accomplices held

KOLKATA: The Kolkata Police on Thursday claimed to have cracked the Bhowanipore double-murder case with the arrest of three persons. Police teams have also left for other states to nab three others who are on the run, including the main accused and conspirator, a cousin of one of the sons-in-laws of the murdered couple. The motive, police said, was a dispute over repayment of loan.
The investigation has so far revealed that at least six people were present at the address when the murder took place on Monday afternoon. The couple - Ashok Shah (56) and Rashmita Shah (52) - were killed between 1pm and 2pm.
The three arrested are Subodh Kumar Singh (45), Jatin Mehta (44) and Ratnakar Nath, alias Baya (39), all residents of Liluah, where the key conspirator and relative also lives. It was the relative who brought the three and two others to the crime scene. He had even visited the Shahs' home last Friday for a recce. Subodh Singh, who had earlier been arrested in a financial dispute case outside Kolkata, is believed to have stabbed Ashok. Another person fired on Rashmita.
"In 2019, Ashok Shah had provided a loan of Rs 1 lakh to the younger brother of one of the accused. However, the brother later died due to Covid and the onus to repay the loan fell on the elder brother, who had taken loans from others and could not repay the money," police commissioner Vineet Kumar Goyal said.