CBI arrests fifth accused in West Bengal CM's aide murder case

The Central Bureau of Investigation has arrested Vinay Rai, the fifth accused in the murder case of Chandranath Rath, personal assistant to West Bengal chief minister Suvendu Adhikari. Rai was arrested from Varanasi in Uttar Pradesh as the probe into the high-profile killing widened across multiple states. Investigators are examining the role of hired shooters and the wider conspiracy behind the murder. Chandranath Rath, a close aide to Adhikari, was shot dead inside his car near Doharia crossing in Madhyamgram in North 24 Parganas district on the night of May 6, barely 170 metres from his residence. His driver, Buddhadeb Bera, sustained critical injuries in the attack and continues to remain under treatment. Earlier, a Special Investigation Team (SIT) probing the murder had arrested four accused before expanding its investigation beyond West Bengal. According to investigators, the attackers executed the operation with “military-style precision” in less than a minute. Police suspect hired sharpshooters were brought in from outside the state to carry out the killing. Investigators said a silver-coloured hatchback intercepted Rath’s vehicle before bike-borne assailants opened fire at close range. The SIT recovered two motorcycles allegedly used in the crime, one from the airport area and another near rail gates 11 and 12 in Barasat. Preliminary findings suggested both motorcycles and the hatchback used in the attack had been stolen earlier and fitted with fake number plates to avoid detection. A breakthrough in the investigation came after police traced a UPI payment made at the Nivedita Setu toll plaza on May 6. Officials said the digital trail led investigators to Jharkhand, where the hatchback suspected to have been used in the murder may have been procured. TOI Sources associated with the investigation said the accused deliberately avoided using FASTag and instead made a direct digital payment, which helped investigators track the vehicle’s movement into Kolkata.