Bogtui arson case: Prime accused held

KOLKATA: The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) arrested the prime accused in the Bogtui arson case on Saturday.

The accused identified as Lalan Sheikh alias Choto Lalan was traced by the central agency after almost nine months after the incident of carnage at Bogtui of Suri in Birbhum.

On the night of March 3, after the Upopradhan of Barosal Panchayat, Bhadu Sheikh was murdered.

When he was sitting on a motorcycle and talking on his mobile phone at Bogtui More around 8:30 pm, a group of miscreants came there and started hurling bombs at Bhadu and others.

After a while when the miscreants left the spot, Bhadu was rushed to the Rampurhat hospital where he was declared brought dead.

A few hours after the murder, several houses in Bogtui village were allegedly set on fire by the followers of Bhadu which led to the death of 10 people.

It is alleged that being a close aide of Bhadu, Lalan led a group of men and set the houses on fire to take revenge for his death.

Though the state police initiated a case and started a probe, the investigation of the case was later taken up by the CBI on the orders of the Calcutta High Court. During the probe, several people were arrested in both cases.

Lalan was absconding since March 3 and was never traced until Saturday.

Though CBI has not stated about the place of Lalan's arrest, unconfirmed sources informed that he was picked up from his hideout somewhere

in Jharkhand.