Bogtui carnage: Main accused Lalan Sheikh dies 'mysteriously' in CBI custody

Lalan Sheikh was arrested on late December 3 this year by Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) sleuths after over an eight month hunt

The prime accused in the arson and violence in Bogtui village of Bengal’s Birbhum district, which had in March claimed at least 10 lives, was "found hanging" on Monday in a temporary office set up in Rampurhat by the CBI, a source in the central agency said.

He was arrested earlier this month from a hideout along the Bengal-Jharkhand border.

The CBI source alleged that the body of the accused was found in the washroom of the office which the agency has set up in a guest house in Rampurhat.

The source also said that it looked like a "case of suicide".

"The body of the prime accused in Bogtui violence was found hanging in the washroom of the guest house, where we have set up our temporary camp, around 4.30 pm. We have informed the police and all necessary procedures are being followed," the CBI source told PTI.

At least 10 people were killed in the arson and violence that followed the murder of local TMC leader Bhadu Sheikh on March 21. The CBI is probing the case on the orders of Calcutta High Court.