3 contract killers held

Kolkata: Bidhannagar police have arrested the three contract killers in connection with the murder of Shampa Das, a civic volunteer who was found dead inside her in-laws house at Kaikhali on Friday evening.

Nazir Sahu, Hafizul Mollah and Rashid Ali Mollah were arrested from Michael Nagar area of North 24-Parganas on Tuesday. They are remanded to eight-day police custody after being produced before a Barrackpore court.

The victim's husband Suparatim Das and his mother were earlier arrested by police for their alleged involvement in the crime.

During the interrogation, the husband told police that he engaged two contract killers to carry out the murder.

The hired criminals went into the room, tied up the husband with a rope against a chair and hit the woman with a sharp weapon.

After a preliminary investigation, police suspected that his family members might be involved in the incident.

Police suspected her husband's involvement after interrogating him as there were irregularities in his

statements.

During interrogation, Das told police that his wife used to torture and mount pressure on them to hand over the property.

Das's mother is the owner of the property and the house at Kaikhali, where the couple lived with their 3-year-old son.

Police came to know that Das had hired the criminals by paying nearly Rs 1 lakh.

Das and his mother helped the criminals to enter the house after the victim woman arrived the from her duty on Friday evening.

The victim's mother-in-law stepped out of the house with her grandson a few minutes before the incident.

Police said Das hired three criminals with the help of one Roshid Ali Mollah with whom Das had come in terms a few months ago. Das had struck a deal with the two hired criminals.