Domestic help found murdered at former-footballer PK Banerjee’s residence; driver held

Kolkata: A male domestic help working in the Salt Lake residence of late Indian football legend PK Banerjee was found murdered on Friday night.

The Bidhannagar South Police Station has arrested one Barun Ghosh, employed as a driver in Banerjee’s residence in connection with the murder.

According to police sources, PK’s daughter Paula Banerjee, former vice-chancellor of Sanskrit College and University and Purna Banerjee, a professor of English department of Calcutta University had returned from a trip in Thailand on Friday morning and found cash worth Rs 5,000 missing from the residence at GD Block.

The cash was kept in a bag before they had left. A complaint was lodged on the basis of which the cops summoned Ghosh, the victim Gopinath Mahuri and three other domestic helps for questioning.

During questioning, Ghosh kept on accusing Gopinath of theft and the latter denied. There was heated exchange during questioning too. However, they were released on Friday evening. In the night, all the helps sat for drinking when trouble broke out again.

Ghosh allegedly walked out of the residence and returned soon with a sharp weapon and hit Gopinath several times with it. Gopinath succumbed to the repeated blows and the police arrested Ghosh on the basis of the onlookers’ account.

The sleuths are scanning the CCTV footage and questioning the family members for further leads in the case.

PK Banerjee was the former captain of the Indian football team and later served as its coach. He played 52 matches for India and scored 16 goals in his international career. He received prestigious awards like Arjuna, Padmashree among others. On March 20, 2020 Banerjee died at a Kolkata hospital.