Suvendu Adhikari aide murder: Police nab sharpshooter from Ayodhya, lawyer claims he was home on ambush day
Times of India | 12 May 2026
KOLKATA: Five days after the murder of Suvendu Adhikari aide Chandranath Rath outside his Madhyamgram residence, Bengal Police arrested three persons, including an alleged sharpshooter picked up from Uttar Pradesh, even as the accused’s lawyer claimed CCTV footage showed him at home on the day of the 50-second ambush.
The Special Investigation Team (SIT), probing the killing of Chandranath Rath, personal assistant to BJP leader Suvendu Adhikari, carried out raids in Uttar Pradesh and Bihar before detaining three suspects linked to the shooting.
Police identified the accused as Mayank Raj Mishra, Vicky Maurya and Raj Singh. While Mishra and Maurya were detained from Buxar in Bihar, Raj Singh was picked up in Uttar Pradesh during a joint operation by Bengal STF and Ayodhya Police. Sources claimed Raj Singh was suspected to be the sharpshooter involved in the attack.
“All three accused were arrested by Madhyamgram police station after interrogation and produced before a Barasat court,” CID said in a statement. The court remanded them to police custody till May 24.
Investigators, however, refused to disclose the exact role of each accused or reveal the alleged masterminds behind the killing, saying further interrogation was underway.
During the court hearing, special public prosecutor Bivas Chatterjee said investigators tracked the accused through a UPI toll payment made while entering Kolkata via Bally Nivedita Setu. According to police, the SIM card linked to the payment belonged to one accused but was being used in another person’s phone, helping investigators trace the suspects.
Police also sought addition of BNS Section 238 related to destruction of evidence.
Investigators said mobile tower analysis near the crime scene had pointed to two phone numbers originating from Uttar Pradesh, leading the SIT to intensify operations there.
Bengal STF officials said Raj Singh was detained near the Ayodhya highway and that his criminal antecedents were being verified.
However, Raj Singh’s lawyer Harivant Singh challenged the police version and alleged illegal detention. Speaking to reporters at Ballia district court, the lawyer claimed CCTV footage showed Raj Singh at his residence on April 4, 5 and 6 and insisted that his client had no links to the Kolkata murder case.
The STF also questioned Buxar-based criminal Vishal Srivastava, who reportedly faces over 22 criminal cases, but later released him after failing to establish any direct connection with Rath’s murder.