Family of murdered Bengal businessman facing threats, prosecutor tells court
A community block development officer has been identified by police as the prime accused in the murder case
Kolkata: The family of Swapan Kamilya, a jewellery shop owner found murdered in the New Town area near Kolkata on October 29, is being threatened and pressured to withdraw the complaint, a special public prosecutor told a North 24 Parganas district court in West Bengal on Tuesday.
A community block development officer (BDO) has been identified by police as the prime accused in the murder case.
“I told the court that members of the victim’s family, who are currently in Odisha, are getting threat calls. They are being pressured to withdraw their police complaint. The callers said they will never be able to return to Bengal,” special public prosecutor Bibhas Chatterjee said.
The court was hearing the bail prayer of one of the five arrested people on Tuesday.
The body of 45-year-old Swapan Kamilya, a resident of West Midnapore district’s Danton, was found in a desolate area of New Town. He used to run a small jewellery business from a rented shop in the adjoining Bidhannagar area.
The Bidhannagar police started an investigation on the basis of a complaint by the deceased’s family lodged on October 31.
Prasanta Burman, the BDO from Jalpaiguri district’s Rajganj, was described by the special public prosecutor as the main suspect during a hearing on the BDO’s bail petition on November 26. Chatterjee told the Barasat court that Burman needed to be taken into custody for interrogation. Chatterjee said Burman’s suspected role in the crime was established by several pieces of evidence including security camera footage.
The court, however, granted conditional bail to the BDO against a bond of ₹50,000 and directed him to meet the investigating officer twice a week.
The complaint letter, a copy of which was seen by HT, accused Burman of assaulting and abducting Kamilya on October 28 from Salt Lake with the help of some associates. The letter said two cars fitted with blue beacons were used in the alleged crime. The post mortem report said 32 wounds were found on the victim’s body.
Tufan Thapa, a civil works contractor from Jalpaiguri district, and Raju Dhali, a car driver residing in New Town, were the first to be arrested on November 8.
Sajal Sarkar, a Trinamool Congress (TMC) leader from Cooch Behar and Bibekananda Sarkar, his driver, were arrested on November 12 and 18 respectively. Sarkar, who was president of the TMC’s Cooch Behar community block 2 unit, was expelled from the party.
Gobinda Sarkar, the fifth person arrested on November 28, was also a TMC worker and an associate of Sajal Sarkar, police said.
Tuesday’s hearing was on Sajal Sarkar’s bail prayer, which was rejected by the court.
Gobinda Bag, the owner of the shop Kumilya took on rent, told the police and the media that he, too, was abducted but was let off. Bag said Burman accused Kamilya of purchasing some jewellery that was stolen from his home in the Salt Lake - New Town area.
Burman has avoided the media since November 8 when the first arrests were made.
On November 7, Burman told the local media in Jalpaiguri that he neither owns a property in the Salt Lake-New Town area nor did he have any gold jewellery. He claimed that he did not take a flight to Kolkata on October 28, as alleged.
