Three men — Vishal Srivastava, Raj Singh, and Mayank Mishra — have been arrested in connection with the murder of Chandranath Rath, a close aide and personal assistant to Suvendu Adhikari. Police announced the breakthrough on Monday after tracing a UPI payment made by the accused at a toll booth near Bally, close to Kolkata.
Rath was shot dead on the night of May 6 near Doltala in Madhyamgram, less than 200 metres from his residence. According to investigators, his SUV was intercepted by a silver Nissan Micra carrying a fake number plate. Moments later, motorcycle-borne attackers approached the vehicle and opened fire through the front passenger-side window where Rath was seated.
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Police believe Glock semi-automatic pistols were used in the attack, with nearly 8 to 10 rounds fired within seconds. Rath suffered multiple bullet injuries, including two fatal shots to the chest, and was declared dead upon arrival at the hospital. His driver, Buddhadeb Bera, sustained critical injuries, while another passenger escaped unharmed.
Investigators suspect the murder was a professionally planned contract killing worth nearly ₹40 lakh. The assailants reportedly carried out detailed surveillance before the attack and executed the operation in under a minute.
The arrests were made through a joint operation by police teams from West Bengal, Uttar Pradesh, and Bihar. Raids are continuing in Ayodhya and Buxar to identify the mastermind and uncover the wider conspiracy behind the murder.
