Kolkata: Some private CCTV camera footage helped Kolkata Police to arrest one person for the murder of an unidentified person on MG Road in barely two hours from the time of crime on Sunday. However, the cops were yet to identify the victim until Monday evening, almost 18 hours after the incident. The footage was extracted from CCTVs set up through a police-private partnership across central Kolkata.
Sources said the Jorasanko police station was alerted about the unidentified victim lying unconscious on the southern side footpath of MG Road, just in front of a hotel, with injuries on his body, around 10.30pm on Sunday.
"The body was removed to Medical College where the person was declared brought dead. CCTV footage from the area was consulted, and it was found that one unidentified person was trying to strangle the victim," said Additional CP (II), Murlidhar. One Ranbir Singh (57), who is attached to the hotel, lodged a complaint under section 103(1) BNS. "The accused person was identified as Md Surfaraz (30), a resident of MM Barman Street,and he was apprehended. His apparel and the red-coloured ‘gamcha' used for strangulating the victim were seized from the accused. Arrangements are being made for conducting an inquest and a postmortem," Murlidhar added.
In 2017, Kolkata Police had launched an ambitious project to integrate all CCTV cameras — both govt and private — across the city. While the project has received success in Posta, Park Street, Shakespeare Sarani, and Bhowanipore, the police are now concentrating on increasing surveillance in Behala, Jadavpur, Survey Park, Haridevpur, and Regent Park.