Kolkata: The scooter that the assailants involved in the failed murder attempt on councillor Sushanta Ghosh rode last Friday was finally traced about 1.4 km from the crime spot. The cops said a four-day search led them to an alley near Bondel Gate on Tuesday. The cops said the rider parked the two-wheeler towards the rear end of Bondel Gate, removed his helmet, and walked towards Ballygunge station. Investigators believe the accused fled on a local train from there.
The probe also led investigators to a middleman who acted as the link between Md Afroz alias Gulzar and criminals from Bihar's dreaded Pappu Chowdhury Gang. This middleman, lodged at Beur Jail in Bihar, is also accused of committing a murder in Patna. During Durga Puja, this middleman reportedly came to Kolkata to conduct a reconnaissance of the Kasba area, including the residence of Ghosh. "It is through him that Gulzar was in contact with the Bihar gang," said a senior cop at Lalbazar.
"All of the accused involved in this crime, or part of the Bihar gang, are trained shooters. In fact, Yuvraj, the shooter who was caught, was the only novice. The others have more than 30 criminal cases of murder, kidnapping and rioting lodged against them. We are trying to arrest them at the earliest," said the officer.
The probe also established that there is no one by the name of Iqbal involved in the attack. "Iqbal's real name is different. He was operating under the alias Iqbal. The blueprint for the attack was prepared over a span of two months. Sources from Lalbazar report that this man, using the pseudonym Iqbal, arranged for the attackers to stay in the Kolkata port area. The name Iqbal came up during interrogation of an attacker who was caught on Friday. The operation likely involved nine people, not just the few whose identity has been established," claimed sources.
Cops said Ghosh's claims on the warehouse, prima facie, appear to be true. "50% of it is located on govt vested land, the other half has been marked for farming," said police.