CBI takes over probe in murder of West Bengal CM Suvendu Adhikari's aide, files FIR

New Delhi: The CBI has registered an FIR in the alleged murder of West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari's aide Chandranath Rath, taking over the investigation from the state police, officials said.

The CBI action came following a request from the state government, they said.

The agency has formed a seven-member special investigation team under a DIG of Special Crime from Delhi, comprising some of the best investigators drawn from various units of the agency, officials said.

The team will report to the Joint Director, Kolkata.

The officers of the Kolkata zone of the CBI will also join the team for investigation, they said.

According to the officials, the CBI team has already reached the crime scene and started the investigation.

According to the procedure, the CBI re-registers the state police FIR as its own case, which becomes the starting point for the probe.

The investigation is conducted independently, and the outcome may or may not support the allegations.

The CBI then files a final report before a competent court, which can be a chargesheet or a closure depending on the findings of the agency.

The West Bengal Police on Monday arrested three people from Uttar Pradesh and Bihar in connection with the Rath's killing, pursuing leads from a UPI transaction made at a toll plaza by one of the suspects.

Rath, the executive assistant to Adhikari, was shot dead in Madhyamgram on May 6, two days after the declaration of the fiercely fought West Bengal Assembly Polls results.

The incident took place on a public road at Doharia in the Madhyamgram area.

Rath sustained critical injuries in the firing and was rushed to a private hospital, where doctors declared him dead, they added.

The three accused were detained on Sunday and arrested the next morning by the Special Investigation Team (SIT) constituted to probe the murder.

Based on technical surveillance, digital tracking and other inputs, members of the SIT were sent to Uttar Pradesh and Bihar.

During the probe, it emerged that a car, suspected to have been used by the attackers, crossed the Bally toll plaza before the murder, an officer said, adding that one of the occupants allegedly paid the toll through a UPI transaction.

The three were charged with murder, possession of illegal arms, criminal conspiracy, and suppression of evidence under various sections of BNS, he said.

"Two accused - Mayank Raj Mishra and Vicky Maurya - were detained from Buxar in Bihar, while the third one, Raj Singh, was detained from Ballia (Uttar Pradesh) on Sunday. After interrogation, all three were arrested this morning," the officer said.

Earlier, the police had wrongly identified Vicky Maurya as Vishal Srivastava, and also claimed that all three had been arrested from Uttar Pradesh.

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.