The CBI arrested another accused in connection with the murder of Chandranath Rath, former personal assistant to Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari, taking the total number of arrests in the case to six.
According to official sources, the latest arrest was made on Thursday night when 35-year-old Naveen Kumar Singh, a resident of Ballia district in Uttar Pradesh, was taken into custody following a joint operation by the CBI and the Uttar Pradesh Police. Acting on specific intelligence inputs, the agencies tracked him down to the Phephna police station area.
Investigators believe that weapons recovered from Naveen may have been used in the murder of Rath, who was killed on May 6, just two days after the West Bengal Assembly election results were declared. The recovered firearms have been sent for forensic examination.
The arrest comes a day after the CBI apprehended another accused, Rajkumar Singh, from Muzaffarnagar in Uttar Pradesh. This marked the first arrest by the agency since it assumed control of the investigation. Prior to the CBI probe, three individuals had already been arrested by the West Bengal Police.
Sources revealed that a Special Task Force (STF) team had reached Ballia on May 19 and initiated a search operation, during which weapons were recovered from Naveen. Subsequently, an FIR was registered under relevant sections of the Arms Act at the Phephna police station by STF Inspector Anil Kumar Singh.
During interrogation, Naveen reportedly told investigators that he had met a local criminal, Gyanendra Pratap Singh alias ‘Mannu’ on May 7, a day after the killing. He was accompanied by Rajkumar Singh and another associate, Golu Singh. Naveen claimed that Mannu handed him a bag containing firearms.
Following this lead, Naveen guided the STF team to a showroom along a national highway, where the bag was recovered. Officials stated that the bag contained three pistols, 45 rounds of .32 caliber ammunition, a mobile phone, and three empty shell casings. One of the pistols is believed to be of American origin.
While Rajkumar Singh is now in custody, the other accused—Mannu and Golu Singh—remain absconding, and efforts are underway to trace them.
Meanwhile, the CBI has approached the High Court seeking custody of Raj Singh, who was earlier arrested by the state police’s SIT in connection with the case.
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