Calcutta High Court rejects anticipatory bail plea of accused in gold trader’s murder case

The Calcutta High Court has denied the anticipatory bail plea of Rajganj Block Development Officer (BDO) Prashant Barman, who is implicated in the murder of gold trader Swapan Kamilya in Salt Lake’s Dattabad area. Justice Tirthankar Ghosh has instructed Barman to surrender before the Bidhannagar Court within 72 hours.
The High Court criticized the Barasat Court for granting anticipatory bail to Barman last month, pointing out that the lower court had overlooked crucial evidence and failed to consider key factors in the murder case. This decision followed a challenge by Bidhannagar Police against the earlier bail ruling.
Kamilya was abducted on October 28 from a gold shop in Dattabad in a car with a blue beacon, suspected to be associated with government use. His body was later discovered in Jatragachi, New Town. The police filed a case of kidnapping and murder, with the victim’s family accusing Barman of orchestrating the crime.
Several associates of the BDO have been arrested by investigators, and the government vehicle allegedly used to dispose of the body has been seized. Barman, who had refuted the accusations, had obtained anticipatory bail from the Barasat Court last month, which was then formalized in the Bidhannagar Sub-divisional Court. However, the recent ruling by the High Court has overturned this decision, increasing pressure on the accused to adhere to the surrender order.