Sanjib Pandit gave contract to Sambhu for the murder: Probe

KOLKATA: Sambhu Pandit, who allegedly shot dead Panihati councillor Anupam Dutta, was given the contract by Sanjib Pandit who was arrested on Tuesday. Sanjib stays in Panihati and is the relative of Sambhu. On Wednesday night, Urban Development and Municipal Affairs minister Firhad Hakim along with Trinamool Congress leader Maqla Roy visited Dutta's house and assured his family to stay by them in their difficult times. Later, Hakim said giving contract to kill someone is not the culture of Bengal even if opinion differs.

According to sources, a few days ago Sambhu had shot one of his friends in Haringhata of Nadia but he survived. Cops suspect that the same firearm was used to kill Dutta. Meanwhile, police found that Sanjib is a contractor of Panihati Municipality and had a dispute with Dutta. He had paid Sambhu a huge amount to kill the councillor. However police are still not divulging the motive of the murder.

Commissioner of Police (CP), Barrackpore, Manoj Kumar Verma on Wednesday said that several pieces of evidence were found during the investigation. "There were some previous issues which are being looked into. Some facts from 2020 are being found. The incident of Haringhata has a vital link with the murder. One weapon has been recovered," said CP. The murder scene will be reconstructed.