A day after an armed man tried to “shoot at” Trinamool Congress (TMC) councillor Sushanta Ghosh while he was sitting outside his house, the Purba Bardhaman Police on Saturday arrested prime accused in the attack while he was trying to escape to neighbouring Jharkhand, a senior officer said on Saturday.
Prime accused identified as Iqbal alias Afroz Khan alias Gulzar, had ridden the other accused, Yuvraj Singh, on a two-wheeler to “murder” TMC councillor of Kolkata Municipal Corporation ward no 108, on Friday, he said.
Earlier in the day, police also arrested a taxi driver, Ahmed, in connection with the incident, another officer said, adding his identity surfaced during questioning of Singh.
Ghosh had a close shave on Friday evening when the handgun used by Singh to open fire at the councilor from a close range in Kasba area failed to discharge the bullet due to a mechanical fault. “Acting on a tip-off that Iqbal was trying to flee to Jharkhand on a two-wheeler through Durgapur Expressway, police intercepted him at a naka point in Galsi and detained him,” Sayak Das, Superintendent of Police, Purba Bardhaman, said.
According to the police officer, Iqbal was behind the entire planning of the attempted murder. “It seems that Iqbal is not his real name, he had contacted Yuvraj Singh and convinced him to execute the plan for a payment of Rs 10,000,” he said. “Iqbal arranged accommodation for Singh in the Lake Town area and provided him with the firearm,” officer added.
Preliminary investigation suggests that Ahmed had driven Singh and his associate Iqbal on Thursday night from Babughat to Lake Town where they stayed at a housing complex, the officer of the Anti-Rowdy Section (ARS) of the Kolkata Police added.
Kolkata Police Commissioner Manoj Verma, who visited the spot on Saturday morning, while speaking to mediapersons said, “Probe is on, two persons have been arrested so far…the person with the firearm in his hand is from Vaishali in Bihar.”
The CCTV footage of the area and roads leading to Ghosh’s residence is also being scrutinised.
The police are also speaking to Ghosh’s close associates and checking their call details as part of their probe. “There could be someone big behind this attack. These people are only small players employed to execute a plan. Yuvraj Singh has admitted that he was shown a photograph of Ghosh and told to kill him. Upon completion of the task, he was promised Rs 10,000. There might be some other players,” a police officer said.
Yuvraj Singh, after his arrest, claimed that he was a juvenile but investigators found he was lying about his age after checking his Aadhaar card, he said.
Meanwhile, Ghosh said he was “shocked” by the incident but determined to find out who was responsible. “I am shocked. I will not spare anyone…waiting to see who is behind this attack,” he said.
Ghosh said that Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and party national general secretary Abhishek Banerjee called him up and enquired about the incident. “CM Mamata Banerjee had called me up and enquired about the incident. Abhishek also telephoned me. I’m not scared by the incident… But I feel that the common people are moving away from us (TMC) and this might be a result of that. I will urge the party leadership to find out the reason,” Ghosh told mediapersons, adding, “Last night, I had thought of leaving politics, but after discussing with my family and getting assurances from the party, I have decided to stay put and continue my fight.”
The police have increased security around Ghosh.
Mayor Firhad Hakim, who visited Ghosh’s Kasba residence, said, “Enough is enough. We will not tolerate the criminal culture of Bihar, UP, or Ahmedabad in Bengal. The police must act decisively. Firearms should not be entering the state, especially when the CM has repeatedly issued warnings. Where is the intelligence network”
However, Ghosh said, “I would not blame the police, but they should be more alert.”
A purported video of the incident shows two men on a bike in the area, when one of them walks up to Ghosh with a gun and tries to fire at him from close range, but the gun malfunctions. While the man on the bike manages to flee, the other man who tried to shoot Ghosh is caught and later arrested.— WITH PTI