Broad Street murder victim extorted builders: Kolkata cops

KOLKATA: Cops probing the murder of Broad Street resident Biswajit Basu (65), who was killed around 10 days ago, have found that he had a controversial past that earned him several enemies. Police said Basu used the alias ‘Mita Chatterjee’ to lodge complaints against local builders who undertook illegal constructions in the neighbourhood. Once these complaints got lodged at local courts, municipal and governing bodies, and even police, he would reportedly extort money to ‘settle matters’.
“We have found he was named in complaints before.It was only about three years ago that he had reformed himself. Hence, there is a possibility that he had made several enemies,” an investigating officer said.
Cops said the victim was also receiving freedom-fighter’s dependent’s pension, which was his only source of income. Inside the house, there were just two rooms. One room was unfit for habitation, the other was where Basu lived. “No valuable could be found. So, we have ruled out a robbery angle. There were some other claimants to this pension and, therefore, a personal enmity seems the most plausible reason behind the murder. We still believe someone close to the family or within it is involved,” he said.
The interrogation of a shop owner, who would regularly scale the boundary wall to fetch the keys when Basu went to sleep locking the door from inside, provided some valuable leads. “No one took his help on that day to enter the house. Even family members, who arrived at 10.40pm, decided to call the cops standing outside,” another officer said.
“The property — worth 2.5 cottahs — could fetch Rs 1.15 crore. But the deal had fallen through and a theft worth Rs 50,000 had followed at the house. The house, too, was found ransacked. Hence, the property angle — along with personal enmity — cannot be ruled out.