JHARSUGUDA: Two prime suspects in the murder of a father-son duo during protests over the Waqf Amendment Act in West Bengal's Murshidabad were arrested on Monday by a joint team of West Bengal STF and Jharsuguda Police within the Bandhabahal Outpost limits.
The two siblings were identified as Bani Israel and Sefaul Haque, both residents of Sulitala village in Murshidabad. They were prime suspects in the murder of Chandan Das (40) and his father Haragobinda Das (72).
The father-son duo was allegedly hacked to death on April 13 during violent protests against the new Waqf Act in West Bengal's Murshidabad district. The murders had triggered widespread tension in the region. A case was registered at Samserganj PS in West Bengal in this regard.
IG, Northern Range, Himansu Lal told TNIE that following a request from the West Bengal STF, Banharpali Police conducted raids at multiple locations early in the morning. The operation that began around 5 am led to the arrest of the siblings.
During arrest, Bani Israel was found in possession of a country-made pistol loaded with two rounds of 7.62 mm live ammunition. As both accused attempted to flee, the police team fired four warning shots in the air to prevent their escape.
Four empty 9 mm cartridges were recovered from the scene, and a case was registered under relevant sections of the BNS and Arms Act.
Jharsuguda SP, Smit P Parmar said, six other individuals from Murshidabad, suspected to be involved in the larger violence incident, were also detained during the raids.
"The detainees have been identified as Babul Sk, Abdul Khalek, Saba Karim, Roni Sk, Manarul Sk, and Azfarul Sk, all residents of various localities under Samserganj PS in West Bengal. They were taken into custody for further questioning and verification," he added.
Earlier on April 14, two other accused in the double murder -- Kalu Madab and Dildar Madab -- had been arrested from different hideouts in Murshidabad and Birbhum districts.
The police are probing the broader conspiracy behind the violence and presence of multiple individuals from Murshidabad in Jharsuguda.
Officials confirmed that coordination between states and swift intelligence sharing played a crucial role in tracking the accused beyond state borders.
The raids were carried out under the supervision of Inspector of Banharpali police station Ranjit Naik and SI Sarat Chandra Dwibedy of Bandhabahal police station.
Notably, three persons were killed, several people were injured, and scores of shops and houses were vandalised as violence rocked parts of Murshidabad district during protests over the Waqf (Amendment) Act.