Kolkata, Nov 15 (IANS) The police have seized the car of Block Development Officer (BDO) Prashant Barman, who is accused of the murder of a gold trader in the Duttabad area of Kolkata.

According to a senior officer of the Bengal Police, the car with a blue beacon was seized from the Eastern Metropolitan Bypass area of the city.

The police are investigating whether this car was used to dump the body of gold trader businessman, Swapan Cumilla, in the forest of the New Town area near Kolkata.

The Cooch Behar Police will also question the family of the arrested Trinamool Congress leader Sajal Sarkar.

The family of the deceased gold trader alleged that Rajganj BDO Prashant Barman masterminded the crime.

The family alleged that the BDO kidnapped and killed the gold trader.

During the investigation of this incident, the Bidhannagar Police arrested BDO’s driver Raju Dhali, BDO’s close friend Tufan Thapa and Cooch Behar Trinamool leader Sajal Sarkar.

However, the family of the deceased has raised questions about why the BDO is not being arrested, despite a police complaint against him. It is alleged that on the day of the incident, six people were present at the BDO’s New Town flat.

It is alleged that Swapan was severely beaten there. He died as a result of that and was thrown into the New Town forest.

Meanwhile, the police will investigate whether the family of the Trinamool leader arrested in the murder case was involved in gold smuggling through the north-eastern states.

The Cooch Behar district police may question Sajal’s brother and wife. The process of removing Sajal from his post has also begun.

Since the arrest of Cooch Behar-II Block Trinamool President Sajal Sarkar, both his grandfather and brother have not been seen at home.

Sajal’s daughter-in-law and Cooch Behar-II Block Panchayat Samiti President Gayatri Sarkar has also not been seen.

Investigators have learnt that on the day of the incident (October 28), the BDO, along with his associates, went to the gold shop in Duttabad in Kolkata’s Salt Lake area in a car with a blue beacon. After that, the gold trader was allegedly kidnapped, severely beaten up and thrown in a forest.

On November 6, the family of the deceased businessman filed a kidnapping and murder complaint against Barman in Jalpaiguri district.

–IANS

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