Malda witnesses 2 brutal killings in a week; four accused arrested

Malda: Malda district witnessed two shocking incidents of violence this week, leading to the death of two individuals and the arrest of four accused persons, officials said on Sunday.

In the first case, a 63-year-old man, Radheshyam Ghosh alias Nodu Ghosh, was brutally murdered at Mahadipur, under the jurisdiction of English Bazar Police Station, following a dispute over cattle entering a mango orchard.

According to police sources, the incident occurred around 6:30 pm on April 26 when Radheshyam, who was guarding an orchard, got into an altercation with two local residents, Motilal Ghosh (65) and his son Rajkumar Ghosh alias Daku (30), after their cows entered the orchard, owned by Tapan Ghosh and Prosenjit Ghosh.

The confrontation quickly escalated, during which Rajkumar allegedly attacked Radheshyam with a sharp weapon, inflicting fatal injuries on his throat, while Motilal assaulted him with bamboo sticks. Despite being rushed to Malda Medical College and Hospital (MMCH), Radheshyam was declared brought dead.

Based on a complaint filed by his son-in-law, Bapi Ghosh, and a swift investigation using local intelligence and technical inputs, police arrested both accused, who have confessed to the crime. Efforts are on to recover the murder weapons and the motorcycle used in the attack. Additional police pickets have been deployed in Mahadipur to maintain law and order.

Meanwhile, in a separate incident at Amriti village, also under the English Bazar Police Station jurisdiction, two individuals — Biswajit Rabidas and Uttam Ghosh, both residents of Sekanderpur — were arrested for the murder of Nimai alias Shibu Mondal on Saturday.

The incident had occurred on the night of April 23 when a group of villagers, engaged in night patrols to prevent thefts, was attacked by miscreants armed with sickles and other sharp weapons. Mondal sustained grievous injuries and later succumbed.

Following the murder, irate villagers blocked the Amriti-Manikchak State Highway, leading to clashes with police, who had to resort to using tear gas to disperse the crowd. Investigation based on CCTV footage and eyewitness accounts led to the arrest of Biswajit and Uttam. Preliminary findings suggest the accused had entered the village to commit theft and attacked Nimai to evade capture. The incident was also fabricated on social media to be a result of communal disharmony.

Pradeep Kumar Yadav, Superintendent of Police Malda, said: “The accused in the Amriti incident have been taken into police custody for five days through court orders for interrogation.

Police pickets have been deployed in Mahadipur.”