Kolkata: 2 school students, abducted near salt lake, found dead; 4 held, prime suspect still at large

The dead bodies of two school students were found in a roadside ditch in the Basanti area of South 24 Parganas after they were kidnapped on August 22 from the Baguihati in Kolkata over a money dispute. The police have arrested four persons in connection with the case, while the two more, including the prime accused, are still absconding.

According to the police, the accused had also demanded ransom from the victims’ families after killing them. As per the preliminary investigation, there was a dispute over Rs 50,000 between the victims and the accused to buy a bike.

The victims, identified as Atanu Dey and Abhishek Naskar, were strangulated and their bodies were recovered today by the police from the roadside ditch in Basanti.

Those arrested have been identified as – Abhijit Bose (25), Samim Ali (20), Sahil Molla (20), and Dibyendu Das. Other two including, the prime suspect named Satyendra Chowdhury, are still on the run.

Sharing a sequence of events, the police said Chowdhury called Atanu promising him that he will go to purchase a bike and invited him to come along in a vehicle where five others were waiting.

Addressing the media, Biswajit Ghosh, DC DD Bidhannagar Police, said, “One of the suspects broke down during the probe and confessed to having strangulated the two children in the car on Basanti highway. They later dumped the bodies in a canal. Prima facie investigation has revealed that Chowdhury, who is now absconding, was well known to the family of Atanu. We were proceeding carefully in our investigation since there ransom demands were made. It seems there was a dispute over Rs 50,000 which Chowdhury had lent to Atanu for the purchase of a two-wheeler.”

Ghosh said the police is probing all other possible motives also. “While Atanu was a target for this crime, Abhishek was present in the vehicle by chance and was killed to remove evidence. Three ransom demands and SMSes were sent to the family of the victims. All messages were sent after the murders were committed,” he said.

Angered by the crime, locals attacked and ransacked the house of the prime suspect Chowdhury.

Taking congnisance of the matter, Bengal Women and Child welfare Minister Shashi Panja has sought an urgent report on it from District Magistrate and Superintendent of Police of the area.