Kolkata, 11 May

Three persons were arrested from Uttar Pradesh in connection with the killing of Chandranath Rath, an aide of West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari, police said on Monday.

The three accused were detained on Sunday and later arrested by the Special Investigation Team (SIT) constituted to probe the murder that occurred in North 24 Parganas district's Madhyamgram area on the night of 6 May.

Investigators traced "digital clues and interstate links" in the case, the senior police officer said.

“This is a breakthrough. The investigation indicated that the assailants were from outside West Bengal. Based on technical surveillance, digital tracking and other inputs, members of the SIT were sent to Uttar Pradesh and Bihar. They arrested the three persons from UP. They will be brought to West Bengal on transit remand," the officer told PTI.

The arrested persons were identified as Vishal Srivastava, a resident of Pandiyapatti in Bihar’s Buxar district, while the two others are from Uttar Pradesh, he said, adding that the investigators suspect that one of them is a sharpshooter.

At least eight people were involved in the conspiracy and execution of the murder, he said.

The police believe that the attackers had carried out detailed reconnaissance before targeting Rath, he said.

“The murder was executed with meticulous planning. The assailants had taken several measures to conceal their identities and movements. Investigators have been relying heavily on digital footprints, CCTV footage and technical evidence to find out the sequence of events,” the officer said.

The interrogation of the arrested persons is underway, he said.

According to preliminary investigations, Rath’s vehicle was allegedly intercepted by a car near the Doharia area close to Madhyamgram crossing, while a motorcycle stopped alongside.

During the probe, it emerged that the car suspected to have been used by the attackers had crossed the Bali toll plaza before the murder.

One of the occupants allegedly paid the toll through a UPI transaction.

"That digital payment helped investigators identify a mobile number and establish the identity of one of the suspects. The trail eventually led our teams to the accused," the officer said.

Sleuths are now matching the identities of the arrested men with CCTV footage and images of the vehicle and its occupants captured at the toll plaza, he said.

Two days after the declaration of the fiercely fought West Bengal assembly poll results, Rath was shot dead in Madhyamgram.

The SIT continued to conduct raids in multiple areas across West Bengal to trace the remaining suspects, the officer added.