New Town jeweller murder: According to police investigation six involved in the crime
Telegraph | 11 November 2025
Police probing the death of jeweller Swapan Kamilla are said to have found that at least six persons, including Prasanta Barman, the block development officer, Raigunj, were involved in his murder.
Police said the two persons — Raju Dhali, Barman’s driver and Tufan Thapa, an acquaintance — who were arrested in connection with the case on Friday, have reportedly revealed the sequence of events that led to Kamilla’s death on October 28. The cops said they had yet to verify their statement.
Sources said the accused duo told the police that six persons, including the BDO, had assaulted Kamilla.
“According to them, the intention was not to kill him but to recover the stolen gold (ornaments stolen from BDO’s house). But after some time, his eyes started to bleed and he became unconscious. That triggered the panic, and they realised he had expired,” said an officer of Bidhannagar city police.
Sources said the duo has reportedly told the police that they disposed of the body in a beacon-fitted car.
Sources said Barman took a flight to Bagdogra the next day. He did not use his vehicle to reach the airport. Instead, he hired an app cab, the police have found.
“The duo said they were assured that if anything happens, the BDO will take care of it,” said an officer.
Barman had earlier refuted all allegations against him and told this newspaper that he was in Jalpaiguri on those dates. He, however, did not take calls or respond to text messages from Metro on Sunday.
Kamilla, whose body was found in an abandoned stretch in New Town on October 29, was allegedly kidnapped from his jewellery workshop at Duttabad on October 28.
His family had alleged that BDO Barman was looking for him after he came to know that gold ornaments stolen from his house had been handed over to Kamilla.
The police have examined Ashoke Kar, who has reportedly admitted to having stolen the ornaments and handing them over to Kamilla for quality check.
The police have also examined the landlord of the space where Kamilla ran his workshop. Gobindo Bag, who was forced into a car while Kamilla was taken in another, told the police that he last saw Kamilla being forcefully taken into a house in New Town before he was released.