Digital trail helps nab Rath’s killers from Bihar

A single UPI transaction at a bustling toll plaza has emerged as the smoking gun in the high-profile political murder that has sent shockwaves through West Bengal post-polls. Investigators have cracked the murder case of Chandranath Rath, personal assistant to Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari, after tracing a fast-tag-linked digital payment allegedly made by the killers while fleeing the scene.

Three men from Bihar’s Buxar district were detained on Sunday and formally arrested by the Special Investigation Team (SIT), marking a swift breakthrough in a probe that spiralled into a full-blown political thriller.

Sources close to the investigation speak of a meticulously planned hit: the assailants struck swiftly, vanished into the night, and left behind almost no physical evidence, or so they thought. The murder unfolded on the night of May 6 in the quiet residential pockets of Madhyamgram, North 24 Parganas district, barely 30 kilometres from Kolkata. Rath was murdered in what police initially described as a “targeted attack.”

As the killers sped eastward across the Bally toll plaza in Howrah, one of the accused reportedly made a UPI payment for the toll. The transaction, recorded on the National Highways Authority of India’s central server, included a timestamp, vehicle registration details, and, crucially, the linked mobile number. SIT sleuths cross-referenced toll-camera footage with UPI data and within hours, the digital evidence pointed to the Buxar district in Bihar.

“Technology has become the new eyewitness,” a senior SIT officer told The Pioneer on condition of anonymity. “The moment we matched the UPI handle to a phone number active in the Howrah-Kolkata corridor on the night of May 6, the case cracked open.

The rest was old-fashioned legwork, coordination with the Bihar Police, mobile tower dumps, and vehicle tracking. By Sunday evening, a joint team swooped down on three suspects in Buxar. Officials confirmed they are locals with no prior criminal record, a detail that has only deepened the mystery”.

The men were produced before a court late Sunday night and remanded in police custody till May 24 to allow intensive interrogation, forensic examination of their phones, and reconstruction of their movements on the fateful night.

The SIT was constituted within 48 hours of the murder at the highest levels of the state administration, reflecting the political sensitivity of the case. Rath was not just any staffer; he was Suvendu Adhikari’s eyes and ears on critical files, often the last man standing in late-night meetings. His killing has triggered murmurs in political corridors, whispers of revenge, leaked secrets, or a message intended for the very top. Chief Minister Adhikari, who has remained stoic in public, is said to have personally reviewed SIT updates.

As the three accused sit in a Howrah lock-up, the SIT is racing against the clock. Forensic teams are analysing call records, financial transactions, and possible links to vehicles used in the crime. Interrogation is expected to reveal whether the trio acted alone or was part of a larger network. Sources say the probe is now widening to examine Rath’s recent movements, his access to sensitive Government correspondence, and any threats he might have received.

For the SIT, the next 13 days in custody will decide whether this digital clue unravels a conspiracy that reaches far beyond a Bihar backwater.