Three days after a 60-year-old gold trader was found murdered at a hotel in Bhowanipore here, police on Thursday said the unidentified accused may have killed the trader before collecting a Rs 25 lakh ransom from his family. Victim Shantilal Baid, a resident of Lee Road, was strangled to death with a telephone wire in the hotel. He was allegedly kidnapped by the accused for ransom.
According to police, the accused is from Haryana and still at large. They said the accused made the ransom call around 6:30 pm on Monday and left the hotel around the same time without checking out. Police are cheking CCTV footage for more clues. In the call, the accused allegedly threatened that he will kill Baid if he is not given Rs 25 lakh in ransom.
The family complied and handed over the ransom to the accused near the Victoria South Gate at 10:15 pm. The accused returned Baid’s mobile phone to the family, saying they will receive a call from him in half an hour. Police said Baid befriended the accused on social media and they are examining the chat.
Investigation led the police to taxi driver who dropped the accused at Howrah railway station.
A murder case has been registered against the accused.
Source: https://indianexpress.com/article/cities/kolkata/gold-trader-killed-before-taking-ransom-accused-still-at-large-kolkata-cops-7779186/
