Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, accompanied by Kolkata Police Commissioner Vineet Goyal, on Wednesday met the family members of Lakhani. After interacting with Lakhani’s wife and two sons, Banerjee termed the crime as a “planned murder” and said the police would take stringent action against the accused persons.
“I cut short my (Siliguri) visit and came here after learning about the murder. The man who was killed was a simple person who ran a pharmaceutical business. His business partner called him to his residence and mercilessly killed him,” said Banerjee.
She also said, “The family registered a missing complaint on Monday evening. The police made continuous efforts to solve the case and arrested culprits. I have no words for the bereaved family. It was a planned murder and those who have committed this are bigger criminals than the usual definition of a criminal.” Banerjee said considering its gravity, the homicide section of the Kolkata Police has taken over the case from the Nimta police.
Kolkata Police Commissioner Vineet Goyal said inquiries indicated the accused had borrowed a significant amount of money from the deceased but failed to repay it over an extended period.
Lakhani purportedly visited Gupta’s residence on Monday to discuss “recovery of the money,” but his phone became unreachable shortly afterwards, the officer said. In response to a query, Goyal said it was still unclear whether more than two persons were present at the scene when the murder occurred.
The body of Bhavo Lakhani, who lived in the Bhowanipore area (Mamata Banerjee’s constituency), was found in a jute sack beneath a water tank at Gupta’s residence in Nimta, North 24 Parganas district. According to the police, the body was found during a raid at Gupta’s house, which was prompted by suspicions from neighbours who noticed “sudden” construction activities around the tank on the terrace.
Following interrogation, both Das and Gupta admitted to striking Lakhani on the head with a cricket stump during a heated argument and concealing the body in a jute sack, police said.