Jharsuguda, April 21: Police in Odisha’s Jharsuguda district on Monday arrested two individuals allegedly involved in the brutal killing of a father-son duo in West Bengal’s Murshidabad district amid recent violence related to the Waqf law.
The arrested suspects, identified as Bani Israel and Sefaul Haque, are residents of Sulitala village under the Samserganj police station limits in Murshidabad.
The incident took place on April 11, when 72-year-old Hargobindo Das and his 40-year-old son Chandan Das were reportedly hacked to death in the Samserganj block of Murshidabad.
According to Northern Range Inspector General Himansu Lal, the arrests were made during a joint operation by Banharpali Police and the West Bengal Special Task Force (STF), following a formal request from the latter. Raids were conducted at multiple locations under the Bandhabahal outpost.
During the operation, the two suspects attempted to flee, prompting police to fire four warning shots in the air before successfully apprehending them.
A country-made pistol loaded with two 7.62 mm live rounds was recovered from Bani Israel. Additionally, four empty 9 mm cartridge cases were found at the scene.
In a subsequent development, six more individuals from Murshidabad were detained during follow-up raids in the Bandhabahal area. Authorities believe they may be part of a wider network involved in the Murshidabad violence.
The six detainees have been identified as Babul Sk (24), Abdul Khalek (24), Saba Karim (25), Roni Sk (23), Manarul Sk (54), and Azfarul Sk (21). All six are residents under the jurisdiction of the Samserganj police station.
