Siliguri: The prime accused in the murder of 15-year-old Shubhajit Madak, a Madhyamik examinee from Simultala, Matigara, has been arrested. The accused has been identified as Kajal Paswan alias Raj, a toto driver and a native of Mathabhanga, who has been residing in the Simultala area for several years.
Police sources said that after the incident, Raj fled to his native home in Mathabhanga. Later, he returned to Siliguri and stayed at his relative’s house in the New Jalpaiguri area. He also visited Siliguri Court on Tuesday. Later that night, he attempted to board a train from New Jalpaiguri to flee to another location, but was arrested from Kawakhali before he could do so. According to police sources, the accused allegedly beat up Shubhajit severely. When he fell unconscious, Raj reportedly removed the belt from the victim’s trousers and strangled him to death. The body was later dumped in a forested area of Sukna.
Rakeeh Singh, Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP) said: “About a month ago, a dispute had arisen between Shubhajit and Raj over a girl. During the altercation, Shubhajit had allegedly slapped Raj. We suspected that Raj planned the murder to take revenge. He was allegedly assisted by another minor from the locality, who was reportedly a friend of the victim. The minor has been sent to a juvenile home in Jalpaiguri, while Raj has been taken into police custody for further investigation.”
Shubhajit had been missing since Saturday evening. Family members said that during their last phone conversation, he informed them that he was with the accused minor and Raj. His phone was later found switched off. A missing complaint was lodged at Matigara Police Station. Based on which police initially started a kidnapping case and detained the minor friend of the deceased.
During interrogation, the minor allegedly confessed to the crime, leading police to recover Shubhajit’s body from the forest in Sukna. Police investigations revealed that Shubhajit was taken to Sukna in a toto by Raj and the minor accused. He was allegedly murdered at a location some distance away from where the body was eventually found. CCTV footage from a hotel near the area reportedly showed Raj and the minor returning together.
On Wednesday, when Raj was produced before the Siliguri court, an agitated crowd attempted to attack him. However, police controlled the situation. The crowd demanded the culprit to be hanged to death. The court has remanded Raj to five days of police custody. Further investigation into the case is underway.