A sensational murder case has rocked Salt Lake and Jalpaiguri after a gold trader, Swapan Kamila, was found dead in Newtown, North 24 Parganas. The victim’s family has alleged that he was kidnapped and murdered by a man claiming to be a Block Development Officer (BDO) — identified in the complaint as Prashant Barman.
The case has taken a serious turn since a BDO named Prashant Barman currently serves at the Rajganj block in Jalpaiguri district, raising questions about whether the complaint directly refers to him.
On October 28, police recovered a body from a forested area in Kolkata’s adjoining Newtown, later identified as Kamila, the gold trader originally from Odisha’s Baleswar district. Kamila ran a gold workshop in Duttabad, Salt Lake, which he rented from a man named Govinda Bagh.
Three days later, on October 31, Kamila’s brother-in-law Debashis filed a murder and kidnapping complaint with Bidhannagar South Police Station. According to the complaint, Govinda had earlier called Kamila, saying that a BDO was looking for him, alleging that stolen gold from the BDO’s house had been sold at his shop.
Kamila then travelled to Kolkata with his family to meet the supposed official. While his family returned home, Swapan never did.
Swapan’s father-in-law, Amulya Kamila, told police that two blue-light vehicles had arrived near the Duttabad shop. Both Swapan and Govinda were reportedly taken away by people in those vehicles — one of whom identified himself as a BDO.
Two days later, Kamila’s body was discovered. Police sources said that injury marks were found on the body, suggesting that he may have been beaten before being killed. The final autopsy report is awaited.
The Bidhannagar Commissionerate has launched an intensive investigation into the case. A senior officer said on condition of anonymity, “We have received a complaint and formed a special investigation team. The matter is being probed with high importance as a WBCS officer’s name has surfaced.”
Investigators have reportedly identified a flat in Newtown believed to be the primary crime scene, where Kamila was allegedly murdered before his body was dumped elsewhere.
Sources said that members of the investigation team may soon travel to North Bengal to verify if the accused BDO Barman had any involvement or was present in Kolkata at the time of the incident.
When contacted, Barman gave a puzzling response to queries, saying: “I have no place, no home where the incident took place.”
His ambiguous remarks have only added to the confusion surrounding the case.
Officials of the Jalpaiguri district administration have so far declined to comment on the issue. It remains unclear whether any internal inquiry or disciplinary action has been initiated against the BDO.
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