A small hatchback comes into play when cops investigate the murder of Chandranath Rath, the personal assistant of senior BJP leader Suvendu Adhikari, in Bengal. The car allegedly intercepted Rath’s white Scorpio when he was on his way back to his residence at Madhyamgram in North 24 Parganas. Moments later, three men appeared on two bikes and opened fire on Adhikari’s assistant.
The minivan used a fake number plate and police later traced the cloned registration number to a vehicle owned by a Siliguri resident who had recently advertised his car for sale on OLX.
Police suspect that the attackers used the vehicle to force Rath’s car to slow down near a traffic signal, after which the attackers riding motorcycles opened fire and fled the scene.
“A suspicious vehicle was seized which allegedly blocked Rath’s car’s path. However, the number plate attached to it was found to be fake,” DGP Syed Nath Gupta told reporters at the spot.
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Is Nissan Micra used for murder?
Police officials said the vehicle, a small Nissan Micra hatchback, was used to block Rath’s SUV after it slowed down near a traffic signal in Madhyamgram on Wednesday evening.
Investigators believe the shooters fled in the same car after the shooting and later left it in a deserted location before escaping, perhaps on motorcycles or another vehicle to move more easily across busy roads.
Speaking about the crime, another police officer said that the minivan was spotted heading towards Madhyamgram in CCTV footage.
“The chassis number and engine number of the small car have been erased. This indicates that they had earlier planned the murder. The small car number belongs to one person residing in Siliguri, who is an employee of a tea plantation,” he said.
Police suspect that the attackers deliberately used a cloned registration number to avoid being traced after the killing.
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OLX and Siliguri registration number
The officer said it appeared the killers copied the registration number and used it so they could not be traced.
Investigators later found that the registration number displayed on the seized Nissan Micra actually belonged to a different vehicle owned by Siliguri resident William Joseph.
Police said Joseph’s car, a separate model with the same license plate number, remains parked at his home in Siliguri, about 557 km from Madhyamgram.
Joseph reportedly told police he had recently posted an ad on OLX to sell his car, details that detectives are now examining as part of an investigation into how the registration number was duplicated.
Rath, a close aide of senior BJP leader Suvendu Adhikari, was apparently returning to his Madhyamgram home from Kolkata when he was attacked. His residence is located not far from where he was killed.
One of the doctors at the hospital said, “The victim arrived dead with two bullets in his chest that pierced his heart, while another bullet hit the abdomen area, and there was no chance to revive him.” PTI.
(With inputs from Joydeep Thakur, Tanmay Chatterjee and agencies)
