In a significant breakthrough, Barrackpore Police have arrested three individuals linked to the brutal robbery and murder at a jewellery shop in Baranagar, North 24 Parganas district of West Bengal. The incident led to the death of 60-year-old shop owner Shankar Jana and the theft of nearly 15 kg of gold jewellery.
A senior officer of the detective department confirmed that one of the arrested individuals, Panchu Samanta, allegedly purchased a large portion of the stolen gold. He was presented before a Barrackpore court on Tuesday and remanded to three days of police custody.
The other two accused, arrested from Jamshedpur in Jharkhand, are charged with murdering Jana by attacking him with an iron rod inside his shop, located near Kolkata. They are expected to be produced in court on Wednesday.
Investigators revealed that Sanjay, believed to be the main conspirator, had pre-arranged the sale of the stolen gold with Panchu Samanta. Police say most of the looted jewellery was handed over to Samanta shortly after the crime was committed.
A third attacker involved in the heist remains at large. Authorities suspect he may be in possession of the remaining stolen gold and are conducting search operations across Bihar and Jharkhand to locate him.
“We are pursuing every lead. The accused are being thoroughly interrogated, and we expect full recovery of the stolen gold soon,” said Barrackpore Police Commissioner Murlidhar Sharma.
