Kolkata, July 9 (IANS) The investigation into the murder of Duttabad-based gold merchant Swapan Kamilya has gathered fresh momentum, with a forensic team visiting a house in New Town near Kolkata that police suspect may have been the crime scene.

The Bidhannagar police have already formed a Special Investigation Team (SIT) to probe the murder case. On Thursday, the Bidhannagar police, the Special Task Force (STF) of West Bengal police, the cybercrime and forensic teams went to the house in New Town and collected fresh samples. The police suspect that the gold merchant was murdered in this house.

The body of Swapan Kamilya was recovered from the Jatragachi Khalpar area of New Town on October 29 last year. Two days later, his family lodged a complaint alleging murder, kidnapping and theft. According to the complaint, five to six individuals arrived in two vehicles at a gold shop in Duttabad on October 28 and allegedly took Kamilya to a house in New Town.

The owner of the house in Duttabad, Govind Bagh, had claimed to the media that gold merchant Swapan Kamilya was taken to that house in New Town. Ashok Kar, who worked there at one time, also claimed that he saw Swapan when he went to that house.

Police said preliminary findings suggested that Kamilya had been assaulted. The complaint named former Rajganj Block Development Officer (BDO) Prashant Barman as a key accused in the case. While five persons were arrested during the investigation, Barman allegedly remained absconding despite court directives to surrender.

After securing anticipatory bail from a district court, Barman faced legal challenges from the Bidhannagar Police, following which both the Calcutta High Court and later the Supreme Court directed him to surrender. He, however, allegedly failed to comply, leading to his removal from the post of BDO by the state government.

Barman was subsequently arrested in another case but later obtained bail. In May this year, he was again arrested after being accused of driving under the influence and hitting a pedestrian in New Town. He was later granted bail by a court in Barasat.

–IANS

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