Three persons, including a cab driver, were arrested in connection with the attempted assassination of Trinamul councillor in Kolkata.

For a mere Rs 10,000, assassins attempted to kill Sushanta Ghosh, Trinamul councillor of Ward 108 of KMC, police sources said.

After being promised an immediate payment of Rs 2,500, the accused arrived in Kolkata from Bihar on Friday with two accomplices. Traveling by train to Howrah and then by taxi, they reached the port area in Kolkata. Before the attack on Friday, the assailants visited Park Circus. Police investigations into the case have revealed these details. On Saturday, police arrested a taxi driver named Ahmed, who reportedly drove the accused around the city. Efforts to track down the remaining culprits and the main conspirator are ongoing. The police arrested a young man named Yuvraj Singh on Friday night in connection with the attempted shootout of the councillor.

After interrogation, it was revealed that Yuvraj is a resident of Vaishali, Bihar. He reportedly arrived in Kolkata with two companions on Thursday after being hired for the task. According to the accused, they were promised Rs 10,000 in total and given Rs 2,500 in advance. CCTV footage from various locations shows that the trio arrived at Howrah station by train on Thursday, took a taxi to the port area, and later used the same taxi to reach Park Circus on Friday evening. From there, they proceeded to the Bypass area, where they met a man named Iqbal. They then used a local youth’s scooter to approach the Trinamul councillor. It was during this time that Yuvraj attempted to attack the councillor with a 9 mm pistol.

According to police sources, the arrested taxi driver had taken the assailants to several locations, including a house in the port area, where they stayed on Thursday. Yuvraj revealed during questioning that his role was not to kill the councillor but to intimidate him. However, police have not found evidence of the two accomplices being present with him during the incident. Yuvraj also claimed that he was hired by a certain Mohammad Iqbal, alias Gulzar, who gave him the pistol. Iqbal, believed to have been living in the Bypass area since the lockdown and originally from Bihar, is under investigation. Authorities are still verifying the accuracy of Yuvraj’s statements.

Police are also investigating whether others were involved in the attack and searching for Iqbal and Yuvraj’s accomplices. Meanwhile, Sushanta’s security has been increased following the attack. Guardrails were installed outside his residence on Saturday. Previously, he had two special branch security guards from the Kolkata Police, but the number has now been doubled. Sushanta stated that the party’s top leadership is concerned about his safety. Trinamul’s All India general secretary Abhishek Banerjee called to check on him, and state president Subrata Bakshi and South Kolkata district president Debashis Kumar also spoke to him. The councillor Mr Ghosh, remarked, “The party and leadership are with me. I will see this matter to its end.”