Raiganj: In a significant breakthrough, police arrested Moquibuddin Ahamed, the prime accused in the brutal murder of 34-year-old Bittu Kshetri, who was found charred along with his scooty under a heap of burnt straw in Dhoaroi, Hemtabad, North Dinajpur district, on March 8. Ahamed, a migrant labourer, had been absconding since the incident. He was apprehended from his residence in Durlavpur village, Hemtabad, on Monday night.
The case came to light when locals discovered flames emanating from a burning straw heap on the morning of March 8. Upon investigation, they found Kshetri’s charred body alongside his scorched scooty.
Kshetri, a resident of Bangalbari, approximately 2 kilometres from the crime scene, was reported missing since the previous evening. Tension sparked though out the district after this brutal crime.
Initial investigations led to the arrest of three individuals, including Jahidul Rahaman, a known miscreant from Hemtabad. CCTV footage from the vicinity played a crucial role in identifying the suspects.
A three-member forensic team from Jalpaiguri was dispatched to the scene to collect evidence, including two burnt mobile phones believed to belong to the deceased.
The team also searched Rahaman’s residence, collecting documents and initiating the draining of a nearby pond to retrieve additional evidence.
Sujit Kumar Lama, Inspector-in-Charge of Hemtabad Police Station, confirmed the arrest and stated: “Ahamed was the prime accused in this murder case.
He went into hiding since the incident. Based on the information we arrested him from home on Monday night. He has been produced in court with a request for 14 days remand to police custody”.