Two arrested in connection with Darjeeling businessman murder

Kolkata: The Darjeeling police have arrested two persons in connection with the alleged murder of a businessman.

They have also launched a manhunt for three others. The arrested were produced at the Darjeeling court on Monday and have been remanded to 14 days of police custody.

On January 12, the dead body of 53 year old Pradeep Ojha was found in his apartment located at Goodie Road, below the Darjeeling Chowk Bazar. He was a jeweller and used to own a gold shop at the Chowk bazar in

Darjeeling. Valuables including a laptop were also missing from the apartment.

“From the post mortem report it was evident that it is a case of murder and criminal conspiracy. Two persons have been arrested in connection with the case and have been charged under sections 302 (murder) and 120B (criminal conspiracy)” stated

Ajay Kumbhar, Additional Superintendent of Police, Darjeeling.

The post mortem report Pradeep Ojha reads “intracranial hemorrhage ante mortem and probably homicidal in nature.”

The arrested are Nitin Popat Kale (30 years) of Hivtad village, Sangli, Maharashtra and Ashitosh Irkar alias Atul (19 years) of Ghatla Chembur, Sangli, Maharashtra.

Both used to reside in Mukhia Building,

Beechwood Road, Darjeeling and were known to the deceased. Nitin is also in the gold trade.

“The Chief Judicial Magistrate court granted 14 days of police remand for reconstruction of the crime and further investigations” stated Pankaj Prasad, Assistant Public Prosecutor, Darjeeling.

The guard of the Valley View Residency, where the alleged murder had taken place, on being questioned by the police, had revealed that at 11:30 am on January 12, he had seen both the accused (arrested) along with three others.

When he had asked them the purpose of their visit, they could not give any proper explanation and had left the premises.

This had aroused the suspicion of the guard.