Kolkata: More than five months after Jadavpur resident Rinku Samaddar (38), who was returning from Mumbai on the Geetanjali Express, was found murdered near Brace Bridge in the port area, main accused Nur, a tailor working in Mumbai, and his accomplice Nazmul, were arrested by a team of Ballygunge GRP officers. The arrests, investigators said, came from the only lead they had — a call Rinku purportedly made to her husband from the accused's phone while on the train. On the call, Rinku, unhappy with her life in Mumbai, requested her husband not to search for her.
Investigators searched through the call records of 864 probable suspects, including those travelling on the train and those who could have been acquaintances of Rinku in both Mumbai and Kolkata. "We brought down the analysis to focus on 40-odd calls, and tracked down the accused's phone, which had been sold to another person. From the buyer, we managed to reach the accused," an officer said.
On the night of Aug 28, 2025, Rinku's body was found beside tracks between Brace Bridge and Santoshpur station. The accused, cops said, were not hardened criminals, which is why Nur could not handle the psychological pressure after he slit the woman's throat on Hyde Road. He even fled without robbing her, the motive behind the murder.
"On the day of the murder, she reached Kolkata after travelling alone from Mumbai. Her identity was confirmed through her Aadhaar card, and her sister Nibha Singh identified her. Based on Singh's complaint, the railway police filed a case of murder and theft. CCTV footage from Santragachhi station showed the woman alighting from the train. She was seen leaving the platform with a youth and getting into a taxi. Footage from Sealdah station also captured her boarding a local train to Budge Budge with the man. Images of them getting off at Brace Bridge were recorded by the camera," an officer said.
The questioning of the two accused has revealed that the chain of events began at the Mumbai railway station. Nur and his friend Nazmul were returning to Kolkata on holiday and met Rinku at the station. After a disagreement with her husband Kartik Das, Rinku left and decided to return to Kolkata, where her parental home is in the Jadavpur area.
The accused noticed Rinku's gold jewellery and struck up a conversation. During the interaction, Rinku asked to use his phone to tell her husband not to look for her. Nur also paid for Rinku's ticket.
Learning that Rinku had not decided where to stay in Kolkata, Nur suggested she could stay at his brother-in-law's place near Brace Bridge for a few days. They took a taxi from Santragachhi to Sealdah, and then took a train to Brace Bridge. Nur told Nazmul to prepare a meal at his brother-in-law's house, and told Rinku they would rest for a while before heading out of the station. Taking this opportunity, Nur reportedly bought a knife from a nearby shop. He then walked with Rinku along the tracks and, in the darkness, killed her and fled.
Nur had already taken Rinku's cellphone, which he later sold. Legal action is being recommended against those who bought the phones belonging to Rinku and Nur.