The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has arrested Faizul alias Palash, one of the prime suspects in the murder of Trinamool Congress (TMC) panchayat leader Bhadu Sheikh, which triggered the March 21 massacre at Bogtui village in West Bengal’s Birbhum district.
Ten people, including nine women and an eight-year-old girl, were killed in the massacre. A mob set three houses on fire.
Faizul was on the run for seven months. The CBI arrested him in the early hours of Wednesday when he returned home to meet his family, a police officer aware of the arrest said on condition of anonymity. He was remanded in CBI custody for eight days, said Abdul Bari, his lawyer.
Bogtui residents said Faizul was once a business partner of Sheikh but they became rivals following a dispute over the share of profit. Another prime suspect in the murder, Sona Sheikh, was arrested in September.
The CBI is also probing the massacre on the directions of the Calcutta high court. Four of the 10 accused in Sheikh’s murder were arrested and the first charge sheet in the case was filed on June 20. The CBI registered the murder case on April 8 in compliance with the high court orders.