Questions have emerged regarding the police probe into the killing of gold merchant Swapan Kamilya as the former Rajganj BDO Prashant Barman, believed to be the main suspect, was not listed in the charge sheet presented to the Bidhannagar court.
Kamilya was reportedly abducted on October 28 last year, and his body was found on a canal bank in Jatragachi under the New Town police station the next day. The charge sheet, submitted after 90 days, names five suspects – Tufan Thapa, Raju Dhali, Sajal Sarkar, Gobinda Sarkar, and Vivekananda Sarkar – but excludes Barman. Investigators mentioned that his name might be included in a supplementary charge sheet or a separate one in the future.
The victim’s family has accused Barman, who was dismissed as BDO, of being the main plotter and has expressed frustration over the police’s failure to apprehend him. Barman had previously secured anticipatory bail from the Barasat and Bidhannagar sub-divisional courts, which was revoked by the Calcutta High Court on December 22 with an order to surrender within 72 hours. However, he evaded surrender, went into hiding, and an arrest warrant was issued against him.
Despite a Supreme Court directive on January 19 for him to surrender by January 23, Barman remains at large. In the meantime, a new BDO has been appointed in Rajganj by the administration. Speculation has heightened regarding Barman’s exclusion from the charge sheet while the police continue their efforts to locate him.
