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Ballia connection deepens in Bengal CM aide murder
CBI may question accused arrested in Muzaffarnagar regarding plot behind killing, financial transactions, interstate movement patterns; agency arrests another accused from Varanasi
LUCKNOW The arrest of Rajkumar Singh, 28, in the murder of Chandranath Rath, personal assistant to West Bengal chief minister Suvendu Adhikari, has brought the spotlight on the Ballia native’s criminal background, interstate movements and alleged links with a wider network spanning Uttar Pradesh, Bihar and West Bengal.
Singh, a resident of Rattopur village in Ballia, was arrested by the CBI near the Chhapar toll plaza in Muzaffarnagar on Monday. Investigators suspect he acted as the main shooter in the May 6 killing of Rath in Kolkata.
The CBI is expected to question Singh extensively regarding the conspiracy behind the killing, financial transactions, interstate movement patterns and the precise role played by other accused persons linked to the case.
According to CBI officials, Rajkumar Singh was intercepted while allegedly returning from Haridwar after the CBI tracked his movements through technical surveillance. He was later produced before a chief judicial magistrate, who granted transit remand for questioning and transfer formalities related to proceedings before a special CBI court in Kolkata.
Meanwhile on Tuesday, a CBI team arrested Vinay Rai, 40, a resident of Deoria village in Ghazipur, from Varanasi for his alleged involvement in Rath’s murder. The agency presented him before the court of chief judicial magistrate in Varanasi. The court of CJM Manish Kumar granted permission to the CBI to take Rai, alias ‘Pampam’ to Kolkata. It also directed the agency to produce Rai before the court concerned in Kolkata by 6pm on May 21, said officials.
The murder of Rath, 42, took place just two days after the declaration of West Bengal Assembly election results. Investigators said assailants intercepted his vehicle and opened multiple rounds of fire, leaving him with fatal bullet injuries to the chest and abdomen. Considering the political sensitivity of the case, the investigation was transferred to the CBI, which registered an FIR on May 12 and formed a seven-member SIT led by a DIG-rank officer.
Investigators are now focusing on Rajkumar Singh’s alleged links with co-accused Raj Singh, another Ballia native, who was arrested from Ayodhya on May 10 during the initial phase of the investigation by the West Bengal Police SIT.
Officials said Raj Singh, who currently resides in Bihar’s Buxar district, is suspected to have played a logistical and coordination role in the operation. Investigators believe the two accused remained in contact during the planning and execution stages of the murder conspiracy.
According to officials associated with the probe, disclosures made by earlier arrested suspects Vishal Srivastava and Mayank Mishra from Bihar helped investigators trace Rajkumar Singh’s role and map the alleged interstate network behind the killing.
Investigating agencies suspect the operation was carried out by an organised group involving nearly eight people, including shooters, coordinators and logistical handlers operating across multiple states. Officials are examining WhatsApp chats, call detail records, location data and digital communications to establish the chain of conspiracy.
They are also probing the use of a suspected fake or cloned vehicle registration number during the crime. Officials said the number plate used on the suspected vehicle was linked to a car owned by Siliguri resident James Williams, who had reportedly advertised the car for sale online. Agencies suspect the attackers used cloned registration details to evade detection.
Rajkumar Singh’s personal history has also become a key focus of investigation. Police records indicate he had earlier been jailed in a case involving assault and provisions of the SC/ST Act following a village dispute nearly three years ago.
Family members said Rajkumar studied till the first year of BA before discontinuing his education and moving to Mumbai, where he worked as a crane helper. He returned to Ballia around eight months ago and had reportedly been trying to secure employment abroad.
Sources said the accused had recently applied for a passport and police character certificate as part of preparations to travel overseas for work. However, the process reportedly got delayed because of his pending criminal case, following which he approached the high court seeking relief.
His father, Tribhuvan Narayan Singh, claimed the family had no knowledge of his alleged involvement in the Bengal murder case. “We received a call from CBI officials informing us that Rajkumar had been taken into custody in connection with the killing of a CM aide in West Bengal. We have no relatives there and do not know whether he had travelled to Bengal,” he said.
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