Murder bid: 2k sqft godown emerges central to dispute
Times of India | 18 November 2024
Kolkata: A 2,000 square feet godown emerged as central to the dispute that may unravel the mystery behind the attack on Trinamool councillor and borough chairman Sushanta Ghosh, who survived a murder bid on Friday evening.
Md Afroz, alias Gulzar, touted as the mastermind behind the attack by the cops, reportedly told them during interrogation that an aide of Ghosh, Haider Ali, took possession of "his" godown on the ground floor of a building at Martin Para in Gulshan Colony off EM Bypass. "He reportedly sought Ghosh's intervention after this but the latter refused," said cops. Afroz also told investigators that he hired the criminals to take revenge on Ghosh.
TOI visited the site at 71-L Gulshan Colony, located in a congested neighbourhood on Sunday, and found the warehouse shut. Residents said Afroz had three flats on the building's second floor. Currently, per sqft rate in Gulshan Colony is around Rs 3,000 to Rs 3,500 as per local estimates.
While two of the apartments have been rented out after his parents' death, his cousin lives in the other one, where he would occasionally visit. There's another apartment in a different building in the area, where he lived with his wife and child. Neighbours saw Afroz till Friday morning. His wife and kid were last seen on Saturday morning. But since then, the flat has been locked.
His cousin said that on Friday, Afroz was seen frantically walking up and down the corridor of the building and speaking to someone over phone. He left home in a hurry on Friday night.
Haider Ali, whose name was taken by Afroz during interrogation, told TOI that he was being framed and that Afroz was a criminal who used to work under the instruction of another promoter and strongman in Gulshan Colony — Zulqar Nain Ali.
Ghosh also said that he had doubts whether Afroz was the mastermind and said someone bigger might be calling the shots. Ghosh said he suspect the attack on him is the fallout of him stopping multiple illegal constructions in Gulshan Colony that some promoters were attempting by filling up water bodies there and also in East Kolkata Wetlands.
"I think Afroz is just a pawn. Let the police probe it. Since I became the councillor of ward 108, I have seen some promoters trying to fill up water bodies and build flats. I have opposed them, and Haider, being my go-to man in Gulshan Colony, had also opposed them on my behalf," Ghosh said on Sunday.
Zulqar Nain Ali said he was innocent and that Haider was the one running illegal constructions. "I am a small-time promoter and an NGO professional. Afroz bought three flats and a godown from me. That is my only association with him. I don't know if he planned an attack on the councillor. But I can say my name is unnecessarily being dragged. Haider is filling up water bodies," Zulqar added.