A gruesome murder allegedly planned over an extramarital affair has been solved by the Bagdogra Police within 48 hours, with five people arrested, including the victim’s wife and her alleged lover.
Police said the accused allegedly murdered the man, beheaded him and dumped his headless body in a tea garden in West Bengal’s Bagdogra.
The victim has been identified as Imam, a resident of Bihar’s Kishanganj district. According to police, he worked as a traditional faith healer, locally known as an ojha.
Those arrested are Imam’s wife, Tumpa Ghosh alias Momina Begum; her alleged lover, Sudip Pal, a resident of Chandal Jote in Goshaipur, Bagdogra; Sudip’s nephews, Bapi Pal and Nitai Pal from Jalpaiguri; and their friend, Kaushik Nath.
The case came to light on Tuesday after a headless body was found in the No. 9 Section of Haskhowa Tea Garden under the Bagdogra police station limits. During the investigation, police recovered an identity card from the body, which helped identify the deceased as Imam. His family was later informed and confirmed his identity at the North Bengal Medical College and Hospital.
According to investigators, both Imam and his wife worked as ojhas, or traditional faith healers. Police alleged that Momina Begum had been in a long-term extramarital relationship with Sudip Pal, who is also an ojha. Sudip is married and has two sons.
Police believe the two allegedly planned Imam’s murder so they could live together. As part of the alleged conspiracy, Sudip, along with his nephews Bapi and Nitai, their friend Kaushik Nath and Momina, allegedly lured Imam to Haskhowa.
Investigators alleged that the group slit Imam’s throat, beheaded him and abandoned his body in the tea garden in an attempt to hide the crime.
Following a 48-hour investigation, Bagdogra Police arrested all five accused. They were produced before the Siliguri Sub-Divisional Court on Thursday, which remanded them to police custody for further investigation.
Police said the investigation is ongoing to establish the complete sequence of events and recover further evidence in the case.