Kolkata

Police on Monday said three persons have been arrested from Uttar Pradesh in connection with the killing of Chandranath Rath, an aide of Suvendu Adhikari.

The accused were detained on Sunday and later formally arrested by a Special Investigation Team (SIT) probing the murder that took place in the Madhyamgram area of West Bengal on the night of May 6.

According to police, investigators traced “digital clues and interstate links” that led teams to Uttar Pradesh and Bihar.

One of the arrested accused, Vishal Srivastava, is a resident of Buxar district, while the other two are from Uttar Pradesh. Investigators suspect one of them may be a sharpshooter.

Police said at least eight people are believed to have been involved in planning and carrying out the murder.

Investigators believe the attackers conducted detailed reconnaissance before targeting Rath and took multiple steps to conceal their identities and movements.

The probe has relied heavily on digital footprints, CCTV footage and technical evidence to reconstruct the sequence of events.

According to preliminary findings, Rath’s vehicle was intercepted by a car near Doharia, close to Madhyamgram crossing, while a motorcycle also approached the scene.

Police said a crucial breakthrough came after investigators found that the suspected car had crossed the Bali toll plaza before the murder, where one of the occupants allegedly made a toll payment through UPI.

That digital payment reportedly helped police identify a mobile number and trace one of the suspects, eventually leading investigators to the accused.

The arrested men are being interrogated, and police are matching their identities with CCTV footage and images captured at the toll plaza.

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The SIT continues raids across West Bengal to track the remaining suspects.