KOLKATA: A day after a 74-year-old
cancer patient
, who was alone at home on Thursday morning, was murdered inside her
Behala
residence, cops claimed to have detained a suspect whom they believe can help them crack the case.
Police suspect
that at least two or more people were directly or indirectly involved.
“In all likelihood, Subhra Ghosh Dastidar was murdered
for loot
. But, we are probing all angles,” said a senior officer. Sources said a carpenter and a house painter remain the prime suspects, along with a few others. “Our probe is heading in the right direction as evidences have begun to surface,” said joint CP (crime) Murlidhar Sharma.
A contractor is also being questioned. “There was some renovation work in the house recently and the men who had executed it are being quizzed,” an officer said.
Officers said the accused had stayed inside the residence for a longer period than anticipated initially. “A neighbour told us that she had heard the victim allowing someone inside the house on Thursday around 11am. Ghosh Dastidar, a former nurse, usually did not allow anyone inside the two-storey house without checking the person’s identity. In this case, the accused had even picked up the daughter-in-law’s call on her mobile around noon but then disconnected it. The mobile, an old handset, is missing. Hence, the last tower location we could collect is in the Behala area itself. The attacker knew they had a soft target,” said an officer.
The post-mortem report has confirmed that Ghosh Dastidar was murdered through manual strangulation and asphyxiation. “The wounds are ante mortem and homicidal in nature,” the initial post-mortem has revealed.
Police said the accused was not only aware of the topography of the house but also the Sisirbagan-Chanditala area. “Not only was the accused known to the victim, he is probably a frequent visitor to the house,” said police.