HC instructs CBI to form SIT to probe into gold trader’s murder

Calcutta High Court instructed the CBI to constitute a special investigation team (SIT) to probe the murder case of Barrackpore based gold merchant Sukanta Ghosh in 2007.

So far, the CBI is on the charge to probe this case, but the agency allegedly has done nothing to uncover the murder mystery. The Calcutta High Court on Friday expressed its displeasure on the probe process.

Justice Samapti Chatterjee instructed the CBI to frame a SIT immediately to reinvestigate the case. The SIT will be lead by the joint director of the CBI and a report will have to be submitted before the Calcutta High Court by February 24. However the court will also monitor the probe process by the CBI.

It will be recalled that Ghosh was murdered on July 6, 2007. The trader was out for some of his personal work, but could not return home. The police found his body lying in a pool of blood from Barrackpore’s Latbagan.

“The body was found at Latbagan’s Jawankunge. Some goons, allegedly under the patronage of local CPI(M) MLA and his brothers were involved, as we learnt after the primary investigation,” said a police officer.

The court of Justice Sanjib Banerjee, instructed CBI to take the case in 2009. But the investigating agency allegedly did nothing to unearth the murder mystery. The helpless family of Ghosh then proceeded to the court of Justice Samapti Chatterjee. On Friday, the court instructed the CBI to expedite the case forming a SIT.

“The MLA and his brother used to do some illegal activities and used to ask for extortion from the traders. They demanded huge extortion from the victim trader. On denying the extortion, the brother of the MLA killed him,” said the police officer.