The police have been examining CCTV footage and have formed multiple special investigating teams to trace those involved in the killing of BJP leader Suvendu Adhikari’s close aide Chandranath Rath, a senior officer said on Thursday.
The police are also probing whether contract killers were engaged to murder Rath, who was shot dead in his car by bike-borne gunmen in the middle of a road at Madhyamgram in North 24 Parganas district on Wednesday night.
A forensic team visited the spot on Thursday morning and collected samples, while officers of the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) also joined the probe, he said.
"Going by the circumstantial evidence, it seems that the murder was pre-planned. Investigators are examining CCTV footage from the crime spot and nearby areas, while multiple police teams have been formed to trace the assailants," the officer said.
"We are also examining videos taken using mobile phones by witnesses who also helped in taking Rath, his driver and the other person inside the SUV to the nearby hospital," he stated.
Since the crime took place some time after rain on Wednesday night, not many people were present on the roads leading to Rath's residential complex.
"We have spoken to those people who were seen in the CCTV footage," he said.
According to preliminary information, Rath's car was blocked by a vehicle near Doharia between Doltala and Madhyamgram Chowmatha between 10-10.15 pm on Wednesday when motorcycle-borne men arrived at the spot and fired at him from close range before fleeing.
Rath, 42, was returning to his residence in Madhyamgram from Kolkata when the incident occurred, he said. The deceased is survived by his son and wife.
The vehicle was being driven by Buddhadeb Bera, who also sustained bullet injuries and is undergoing treatment at a hospital in Kolkata, another officer said.
Bera, who underwent a couple of surgeries, remained "very critical", sources in the hospital said.
"Rath’s car was intercepted around 100 metres from the housing complex where he lived," the officer said.
The small car was waiting for Rath's vehicle to arrive near the street, he said.
"Once the occupant of the small car found Rath's vehicle approaching, he drove it to block its way. And once his vehicle got stuck there, the gunmen put the firearms against the glass and started firing, fatally hitting the deceased," the officer said.
The occupants of the small four-wheeler later abandoned the vehicle and escaped on motorcycles, police said.
Police suspected that the killers fled on two motorcycles in two directions.
"One probably took the main road towards Jessore Road, while the other took a narrow street on the left leading to Rajarhat," the officer said.
Another police officer said CCTV footage showed the car travelling towards Madhyamgram before the attack.
Investigators said they are taking help from both Kolkata Police and Bidhannagar Police Commissionerate to check CCTV footage installed under their respective jurisdictions and study the movement of the killers.
"The number plate attached to the small car left by the assailants was found to be fake. The original one belongs to a person based in Siliguri, who works in a tea estate. The chassis number and engine number of the small car have also been erased. It indicates that they had planned the murder," he said.
The person in Siliguri is being interrogated by the local police.
"He is claiming to have uploaded a photograph of his vehicle on an online platform with the intention of selling it. We are verifying his claims and rechecking them," the officer said.
Later on Thursday, police found one of the two motorcycles allegedly used in the killing of Rath from near a tea stall around 4 km from the spot where the shooting took place, the officer said.
Preliminary investigation indicated that the motorcycle also bore a fake registration number.
Investigators also found that the chassis number had been erased, making it difficult to identify the owner, he said, adding that efforts to find out the second bike is on.
Police were suspecting the use of sophisticated firearms during the attack.
On Thursday, police recovered a bullet shell on the streets, 10 metres away from Rath's residence, the sleuth said.
According to preliminary forensic inputs, the assailants might have used Glock 47X pistols, he said.
"A weapon of this nature is generally not used by ordinary criminals. We are examining whether professional shooters were involved," a senior West Bengal Police officer said on condition of anonymity.
Meanwhile, one of the locals claimed to have seen three people on a bike "waiting" on the streets on Wednesday night.
"We did not know much about Rath. Whether he was an aide of Suvendu Adhikari was not known to us. He used to return home in the same car with a West Bengal Assembly sticker at the same time every day," he claimed.
