Kolkata: Investigations into the murder of BJP leader Suvendu Adhikari’s aide, Chandranath Rath, have revealed that the bike-borne assailants who shot him at point-blank range used a stolen two-wheeler.
A preliminary probe revealed that the bike used in the crime bore the West Bengal registration number ‘WB44D1990’, registered in the name of one Vibhash Kumar Bhattacharya.
The bike was registered on 4 May 2012, with its validity active until 2 May 2027. Earlier on Thursday, when police reached the address listed for Bhattacharya, they found no trace of him.
The residence was occupied by an individual named Dharamvir, a government employee. Dharamvir claimed to have been residing there since 2014 and stated that he did not know anyone named Vibhash.
On Friday, police managed to trace the original owner of the bike, who informed investigators that it had been stolen, NDTV reported, quoting sources.
A special investigative team has been set up to probe the murder. Adhikari on Thursday said that the only reason behind Chandranath Rath being shot dead was that he was his executive assistant and that Adhikari had defeated Mamata Banerjee in Bhabanipur.
Rath was shot dead on Wednesday night by unidentified assailants, who arrived in a vehicle and forced the car in which Adhikari’s personal secretary was travelling to slow down before opening fire on him from close range.
