KOLKATA: Bullet marks on a black Scorpio, blood-stained seats and cartridge shells strewn across a road near Madhyamgram have become the focus of an intense investigation into the killing of BJP leader Suvendu Adhikari’s aide Chandranath Rath, with police suspecting a pre-planned execution.West Bengal Police on Thursday said multiple teams have been formed to trace the assailants behind the killing of Rath, 42, who was gunned down in North 24 Parganas district on Wednesday night while returning home to Madhyamgram from Kolkata.Forensic experts and CID officers visited the crime scene early Thursday, collecting samples and examining the vehicle, which bore several bullet marks. Officers said the circumstantial evidence suggests the attackers had meticulously planned the operation.Read more: Chandranath Rath: BJP’s Bhabanipur strategist who took on Mamata Banerjee during dramatic strongroom standoff silenced in midnight ambush“Going by the evidence so far, the murder appears to have been pre-planned. CCTV footage from the area and nearby routes is being scanned, and several teams are working to identify and trace the attackers,” a senior officer said.According to cops, Rath’s Scorpio was intercepted around 10.15pm near Doharia, between Doltala and Madhyamgram Chowmatha, barely 100 metres from the housing complex where he lived. Police believe a small four-wheeler deliberately blocked Rath’s SUV, slowing it down, before motorcycle-borne assailants approached and opened fire from close range.The attackers allegedly fled in two directions on motorcycles after abandoning the small car used to intercept the Scorpio. Police suspect one bike escaped towards Jessore Road while the other took an interior route leading to Rajarhat.Rath’s driver, Buddhadeb Bera, also suffered bullet injuries and remains in critical condition at a Kolkata hospital after undergoing multiple surgeries.Police recovered empty cartridge casings, live ammunition and bullet shells from the road leading to Rath’s residence. Preliminary forensic findings suggest the attackers may have used Glock 47X pistols — sophisticated firearms not commonly associated with ordinary criminals.“A weapon of this nature is generally not used by local criminals. We are examining whether professional shooters were involved,” a senior police officer said.Police also found that the number plate attached to the abandoned car was fake and linked to a tea estate employee in Siliguri. Officers said both the chassis and engine numbers of the vehicle had been erased, indicating attempts to conceal its origin.The Siliguri-based owner told investigators he had uploaded photographs of his vehicle on an online platform while trying to sell it. Police said his claims are being verified.Cops are now coordinating with Kolkata Police and Bidhannagar Police Commissionerate to analyse CCTV footage across multiple jurisdictions and track the movement of the attackers before and after the shooting.Locals told police they had seen three men waiting on a motorcycle in the area shortly before the attack. Residents also claimed Rath used to return home at roughly the same time every night in the same vehicle bearing a West Bengal Assembly sticker.No arrests have been made so far, and police said the motive behind the killing is still unclear.(With agency inputs)
