Friend put police on the track of partially blind man who killed wife
Times of India | 3 April 2025
12 Kolkata: A vigilant homemaker's quick thinking and courage led to the arrest of the partially blind Kartick Das, who managed to evade police for over two months after murdering his wife, Chhaya Sardar, in Diamond Park on Jan 21.
Das was arrested after she told police about spotting him on a bus, discreetly tracking his movements and recording his activities.
Das had been on the run since Jan 21, frequently changing locations to dodge police. Cops had earlier announced a reward for information leading to his arrest and circulated his photos on social media.
The 30-year-old woman from Behala lived in Uttarpara with her husband, an auto driver, and their young son. She knew Chhaya closely from the time they both lived in Behala a few years ago. The ties weakened of late but not enough to forget her face. "When I heard the news of the murder, of Chhaya being hacked to death by a bnoti, my blood boiled. I wanted to get the accused arrested. I had seen her husband, but it was the police WhatsApp forward that etched his face in my mind," said the woman.
The woman reportedly spotted Das on a Howrah station-bound bus, somewhere close to the Exide crossing. She immediately contacted cops at the Haridevpur police station and continued to trail Das even as he alighted at Howrah bus stand. She also recorded videos to confirm his identity. "The suspect matched the photograph circulated on social media," said inspector Tapojyoti Das of Howrah GRPS, whose team helped round up the accused before the Kolkata Police team reached the station. "Thanks to the citizen's precise information and video evidence, we could catch him before he could board a train," said joint CP (crime traffic) Rupesh Kumar.
Senior officers on Tuesday rewarded the woman with Rs 50,000 and a certificate. "I am happy with the reward. It will secure something meaningful for my son," she told police.
"The woman's presence of mind and bravery helped arrest the accused," said DC (Behala-SWD) Rahul De. "Without her intervention, the suspect might have escaped to another state." Kumar said,