Businessman remanded to police custody in connection-with Fulbari twin murders

Darjeeling, August 9, 2017: A Jalpaiguri Court remanded Abhinandan Saha to 14 days of police custody in connection with the Fulbari twin murder. The businessman was arrested on Tuesday night.

On August 3, Saha's wife and daughter were allegedly murdered in their residence at Panchkelguri, Fulbari in the Jalpaiguri district. Saha who was allegedly injured during the incident was undergoing treatment at a private nursing home in Siliguri.

Saha had been interrogated on several occasions. His statements were however not consistent. Ratan Saha, the elder brother of Late Rita Saha (Saha's wife who was murdered) had lodged an FIR against Abhinanadan at the New Japaiguri police station of Saturday. Ratan Saha claimed that in the past his sister had been mentally and physically tortured by her husband Abhinandan on multiple occasions.

Forensic teams had examined the site of the crime and also Abhinandan Saha, collecting finger print samples. The forensic team is also trying to ascertain whether the injury on Saha's person was caused by others or self inflicted.

On Tuesday evening policemen in plain clothe were waiting for him in front of the nursing home. As soon as Saha was discharged from the nursing home, he was arrested. He has been charged under sections 302 (murder) and 307 (attempt to murder) and 120b (criminal conspiracy) of the Indian Penal Code.

The statement of one Raghunath Rai, a businessman, has been recorded by a Magistrate under section 164 A CRPC. Saha on Wednesday was produced at the Chief Judicial Magistrate Court, Jalpaiguri. Police had prayed for 14 days of remand which was granted by the Court.
According to police sources Saha, a businessman had closed his grocery shop and had gone up to his residence at around midnight on Wednesday.

At around 1:30 am Saha's neighbours heard him scream for help. A large crowd gathered outside his house. Saha was standing on the balcony stating that some people had murdered his family members and escaped. Saha even claimed that he had seized a chopper from the assailants. The neighbours urged him to come down. The police were also informed.

35 year old Saha then climbed down from the balcony onto the boundary wall and then to the ground floor. He held a chopper in his hand. He had injury marks on his head, face and legs.

Police forced open the main door of the house and entered. In the bedroom the dead body of Rita Saha (30) and her daughter Payel (10 years) lay in a pool of blood on the floor. In an adjacent room her 7 year old son was found under the bed in a state of shock and trauma.

The motive behind the murder remained sketchy as the assailants did not touch the Rs. 5 lakh cash and gold ornaments that was in the room. The neighbours had not seen any outsider leave the building.

Police sources claiming Saha's involvement stated that a few years ago Saha had spent 28 days in the correctional home in connection with buying stolen goods. Police feel that in the correctional home he could have come in contact with a hardened criminal who he could have used to commit the twin murders.

Police are now probing the type of relation Saha shared with his family or if the murders are in any way connected to an extra marital affair.

OneIndia News