Suvendu Adhikari’s aide murder case handed over to CBI day after 3 arrests
The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has formally taken over the probe into the sensational murder of Chandranath Rath, personal assistant to West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari, registering its own FIR and forming a dedicated seven-member Special Investigation Team (SIT). The move comes just days after the high-profile killing that has triggered political uproar in the state.
Rath, a former Indian Air Force technical tradesman and Adhikari’s trusted aide since around 2019-2021, was shot dead at point-blank range on the night of May 6, 2026, barely two days after the BJP’s landslide victory in the West Bengal Assembly elections.
The ambush occurred near Doharia crossing in Madhyamgram, North 24 Parganas, just 170 metres from his residence. Bike-borne assailants intercepted his Scorpio SUV, with one vehicle ramming it before gunmen opened fire in a swift, premeditated operation lasting under a minute.
West Bengal Police recovered spent cartridges and described it as a ?30-40 lakh contract killing involving up to eight people. Vehicles used in the crime had forged registration plates and tampered engine and chassis numbers; two motorcycles linked to the attack were later abandoned nearby.
The West Bengal Police’s Special Investigation Team (SIT), along with the CID, quickly swung into action. Investigators traced a crucial UPI payment at a Howrah toll plaza, using CCTV footage and cross-state technical surveillance. On May 11, they arrested three suspects, Mayank Raj Mishra, Vicky Maurya (from Bihar), and Raj Singh (a Ballia-based sharpshooter from Uttar Pradesh)—in a joint operation with UP and Bihar police.
The trio was remanded to 13 days’ custody till May 24 by a Barasat court. Interrogation revealed possible interstate links, but the full motive, mastermind, financing, and exact sequence of Rath’s movements remained unclear.
Acting on a formal recommendation from the West Bengal Government and state police, the CBI assumed charge of the investigation late on May 11 and re-registered the original Madhyamgram Police Station FIR (No. 353/2026) as its own case.
A seven-member multi-disciplinary SIT, comprising seasoned officers drawn from multiple states, has been constituted under the supervision of the Joint Director, CBI Kolkata Zone.
DIG Pankaj Kumar Singh leads the team. According to a senior CBI official, the agency has formed the team “to ensure a comprehensive and time-bound investigation.” The SIT will independently review and verify all evidence collected by state police while launching fresh inquiries.
Key focus areas include: unravelling the larger conspiracy behind the murder; examining all possible angles, including interstate criminal links, reconnaissance, logistics, shelter, and movement of shooters; tracing the full money trail, arms supply, and investigating the involvement of at least five more believed to be part of the criminal network.
CBI SIT is likely to reconstruct Rath’s movements and establish the exact motive behind the cold-blooded killing, and identify the mastermind, the official added.
The CBI team has reached Kolkata, taken custody of the evidence, and is expected to interrogate the arrested accused.
Rath’s killing has sparked sharp political reactions, with the BJP alleging targeted revenge and the Trinamool Congress condemning the crime while welcoming the CBI probe. Adhikari himself described it as a “pre-planned murder” with prior reconnaissance.
“The case remains under active investigation, with the CBI emphasising a thorough, evidence-based approach to deliver justice in this politically sensitive matter”, the sources added.
