'Stonemen' who killed youth in Howrah arrested

Kolkata: Police have arrested two persons in connection with the murder of Md Bablu whose body was found dead at the Ramkrishnapur Ghat Road with his head smashed with a heavy stone.

After starting an investigation, the police arrested the two accused identified as Raju Roy and Rajen Mullick from Ramkrishnapur Ghat area on Saturday morning. The accused have admitted to their guilt in the face of police interrogation.

Police said that there were several criminal cases pending at various police stations against the accused. During interrogation, they told the police that they killed the victim over some dispute regarding the distribution of money. A quarrel had broken out between the accused and the victim which had resulted in Friday's incident.

The accused narrated the whole incident as to how they smashed his head with a heavy stone which was later recovered by the police from the spot. According to the police, the duo also used to stay on the pavement at Ramkrishnapur Ghat area. Police are investigating if some other persons were involved in the incident.

The local residents on Friday morning found him lying on a roadside pavement adjacent to the river Hooghly with his head smashed. A blood-stained stone was also found lying a few feet away from the body bringing back the chilling memories of "stone man" killings that had created a flutter across the state a few decades ago.

People in the area are still panic-stricken as similar incidents had taken place in Howrah in the past as well. Police have started a detailed investigation in this regard.