A digital payment at a toll plaza near Kolkata has emerged as a key breakthrough in the murder investigation of Chandranath Rath, personal assistant to West Bengal chief minister Suvendu Adhikari.
Three people were detained from Bihar’s Buxar district in connection with the case, police said, after investigators traced a UPI transaction allegedly made by the assailants while crossing Bally toll plaza in Howrah.
The silver car allegedly used in the attack crossed the toll point shortly before the shooting, with the occupants paying the toll via UPI payment.
A digital trail, coupled with CCTV footage, helped investigators piece together the movement of the suspects before the murder.
Officials familiar with the probe told HT that the West Bengal Special Task Force (STF) detained three suspects – alleged criminal Vishal Srivastava, Mayank Mishra and Vicky Maurya – in connection with the case.
Srivastava is said to have more than 22 criminal cases registered against him in Buxar alone, including murder and robbery charges.
The attackers abandoned the silver car after the shooting and escaped using a red car and a motorcycle.
Police later recovered two motorcycles linked to the crime — one near the crime scene and another from Barasat, around 6 km away.
The Criminal Investigation Department (CID) and the STF have jointly formed an SIT to probe the murder.
