Suvendu aide's murder: Probe hinges on links with UP and UPI

TWo leads ar at present at the centre of the investigating into the bump off of Chandranath Rath, personal helper to BJP leader Suvendu Adhikari who became West Bengal CM on Saturday. One is an Uttar Pradesh connection traced through the vehicle used in the attack, and a UPI payment made by the assailants at a toll plaza near Kolkata.Four days after the killing, no arrests have been made, though some men have been detained.To UP via UPI, also to BiharThe police are tracking a UPI payment made by occupants of the Nissan Micra — the hatchback car used to intercept Rath's SUV — at a toll booth in Bally, near Kolkata, reports said on Sunday.The Special Investigation Team (SIT) travelled to Uttar Pradesh after tracing the number on the car to a Siliguri (West Bengal) resident who had advertised the car for sale and was contacted by persons from Uttar Pradesh expressing interest in buying it.Rath's SUV, a Mahindra Scorpio, was followed and blocked by the silver-coloured Micra when he was about 200 metres from his home near Doharia crossing in Madhyamgram, North 24 Parganas, on May 6. Rath, who was on the front passenger seat, was then shot at point-blank range by bike-borne assailants. The killers dumped the Micra and fled using a red vehicle and motorcycles, PTI reported. The entire attack lasted barely 45 to 50 seconds. The Micra has since been seized.Police suspect the assailants cloned or fabricated the number plate to conceal the vehicle's actual identity and evade detection. The SIT reportedly examined communication records, call details and digital exchanges connected to the Uttar Pradesh-based contacts.The investigators first tracked the car to the toll plaza through CCTV footage, and followed the digital payment trail, which could help identify those inside the vehicle.Further details were not shared by officials yet.Uttar Pradesh director general of police Rajeev Krishna confirmed the Bengal team's visit but told HT, “Nothing substantial related to the case has emerged till now.”Two police teams have also been dispatched to Bihar, with investigators suspecting that the sharpshooters were brought in from outside West Bengal, news agency reported citing a senior, unnamed official.Prior info on seating positionThe SIT has also established that the assailants had prior information about Rath's exact seating position inside the vehicle. "It appears that the shooters knew exactly where the target was seated. The execution was swift and professionally coordinated," a senior SIT officer told PTI.Police believe at least eight persons were involved, including two sharpshooters and local criminal associates who provided logistical support.The group allegedly coordinated in real time through a WhatsApp group, investigators told PTI.Two motorcycles have been recovered — one from near the crime scene and another from Barasat on Friday morning. Preliminary findings suggest the red car and the motorcycles had been stolen earlier, PTI reported.Three persons have been detained and are being questioned, police said, but no formal arrests have been made.Rath, a former Indian Air Force employee, was a close aide of Adhikari, who leads the West Bengal government following the BJP's victory in the state assembly elections. His body, draped in the national flag, was kept at a field in his native village of Kulup in Purba Medinipur district for people to pay their respects.