In a dramatic late-night operation on Friday, the Phoolbagan police arrested three murder accused from Rajasthan who had been hiding in Kolkata for several days. The accused, wanted in connection with the brutal murder of a businessman in Kuchman, Rajasthan on October 7, carried a reward of ₹25,000 each on their heads. However, a fourth suspect managed to flee during the police chase.
According to police sources, the four suspects were first spotted on Thursday evening by locals in the Kadapara area of Phoolbagan. The residents noticed their suspicious movements and promptly alerted the police. “Officers from Phoolbagan police station reached the spot and began questioning the men. Their incoherent replies and nervous behaviour aroused suspicion and during further interrogation, one of them reportedly broke down and revealed their true identities,” said a police officer.
When police attempted to detain them, the accused tried to escape. They ran into a residential building in the Purbachal area of Salt Lake, climbed up to the fourth floor and attempted to evade capture. “However, their plan failed as security guards, local residents and security personnel from the nearby IPS quarters joined the chase. The trio was finally cornered and arrested near the Bengal Tennis Academy in Salt Lake,” said the officer.
The arrested accused are now in police custody at Lalbazar for further questioning. “A hunt is on to track down the suspect who managed to give us a slip,” said a senior police officer, adding, “Rajasthan police are on their way to Kolkata to take the suspects in transit remand.”
According to information from the Rajasthan Police, a total of 11 persons were involved in the businessman’s murder. “Earlier, our counterparts in Rajasthan arrested seven persons, and with the arrest of three in Kolkata, the total number of accused apprehended has risen to 10. One suspect is still at large,” the Kolkata Police officer said.
This is not the first instance of fugitive gangsters from other states being caught in Kolkata. In July last year, three suspects in a Patna murder case were arrested from Alipore. In 2023, hired criminals from Bihar were rounded up from an apartment in Tiljala, and in 2021, a joint operation by Punjab and Kolkata Police led to the arrest of four murder accused from a housing complex in New Town.
Police sources said the arrests once again highlight how Kolkata has increasingly become a hideout for fugitives fleeing from other states.
Also read: Rajasthan man arrested for spying for Pakistan’s ISI
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