Kolkata: Contract killers, husband among five arrested

Shampa Das was a civic volunteer with the Bidhannagar Police Commissionerate

The civic volunteer who was found murdered at her home in Kaikhali area last Friday was killed by contract killers hired by her husband, allegedly for her property, police said. Over the last week, five people, including him and his mother, have been arrested.

Shampa Das was a civic volunteer with the Bidhannagar Police Commissionerate. According to the police, at around 10 pm last Friday, the airport police station had received information that a woman had fallen from the stairs of her home. Police broke into the home and found the woman bleeding from a head injury. Her husband Supratim Das, also a civic volunteer, was found tied to a chair with a nylon rope. Shampa was taken to a nearby nursing home where she was declared brought dead. Supratim had claimed that dacoits had barged into their house and attacked him and his wife. However, police had found discrepancies in his statement and detained him, questioning him for hours, after which he was arrested.

Supratim and his mother Mira Devi, Rashid Ali Mollah, a Salt Lake civic worker and masseur, and supari killers Hafizul Molla and Niraj Shaw have been arrested, police said. During the investigation, Shampa’s brother Milan Biswas had told police that Supratim and his mother allegedly wanted to sell off his sister’s land in Rajarhat, and hence decided to get her killed.

Mira Devi and Supratim were arrested a day after Shampa’s death. On Monday night, Bidhannagar police arrested Rashid Ali Molla of Kaikhali Chiriamore, and contract killers Hafizul Molla of Minakha and Niraj Shaw of Tala in Paikpara. Police said Rashid Ali had introduced the duo to Supratim. The two had also done a recce of the house.

“Supratim paid them Rs 59,000 to carry out the murder,” said Amit P Javalgi, deputy commissioner, headquarters, Bidhannagar Commissionerate.