Tenant stabs landlord to death

KOLKATA: A tenant stabbed his landlord to death at Naihati in North 24-Parganas on Saturday night after an altercation over rent. Bikash Tarafdar, the tenant, killed 23-year-old landlord Goutam Sarkar in front of the latter's mother. Bikash is still at large. Police are looking for him.
His wife Mumpi Tarafdar was detained.
Police said the incident took place around 10.30pm after an altercation broke out between Bikash and Goutam.Bikash was asked to pay up the rent which had been pending for two years.
Goutam and his mother Anjali used to stay in Siliguri after the death of Goutam's father two years ago. They came to their Naihati house to collect the rent only a few days ago. "The Tarafdars have been tenants in our house for five years. The family is supposed to pay a monthly rent of `1,200 for using two rooms and a kitchen on the ground floor. But Bikash stopped paying rent after my husband died," said Anjali. "We asked him several times to clear his dues, but he didn't pay a single rupee in the past two months, she added.
On Saturday night, there was an altercation between the two families after Goutam and his mother asked Bikash to vacate their house.
"Bikash abused us and started beating up my son. When Goutam tried to resist him, Bikash took out a knife and stabbed him in abdomen," said Anjali. "After he was stabbed, when Goutam tried to flee, even then Bikash chased him. I screamed for help and started running behind them. Later Bikash took him to a field near our house and stabbed him repeatedly in front of me," said Anjali.
Bikash managed to flee before the locals came to the spot. Goutam was taken to a Naihati hospital where he was declared dead.
Police, however, said an alleged affair between the wife of Bikash and Goutam could also be the motive behind the murder.