The Central Bureau of Investigations (CBI) team investigating the Bagtui killings of Monday night have recorded the statement of arrested Trinamul Congress leader Anarul Hussein in connection with the incident.

The CBI has prepared a list in which 21 people, including Trinamul Congress block president Hussein, have been named as accused in connection with the violence in Birbhum. Hussein’s statement was recorded by the CBI after he was questioned at the probe agency’s camp set up at a government guest house in Rampurhat, an official said on Sunday.

At least eight persons died after a mob set several houses on fire in the village on Monday night following the murder of Bhadu Sheikh, a local TMC leader, by some bikeborne assailants earlier that day. The agency, meanwhile, is relying heavily upon the latest technology to get a breakthrough in the case. CBI officers and Central Forensic Science laboratory (CFSL) experts have been taking help of three-dimensional laser scanner technology.

Several hundreds of photographs of inside, outdoor and rooftop of the houses of Sona Sheikh, and Mihilal Sheikh have been taken by the experts. These 3D pictures will help the sleuths to find some vital clues which might have not been seen through ordinary eyes, sources said. With this help a 3D model picture of the crime scene will be prepared. The CBI is also trying to collect the data of the total number of cell phone holders present at the spot during the attack using call dumping technology.

The numbers and phones of all the arrested 21 people will be scanned to try to find out who they have called or have received instructions through calls at that time. The CBI DIG Akhilesh Singh himself has been camping in Birbhum and leading the interrogations. So far he has talked with several villagers and eyewitnesses in this incident since yesterday.

The CBI officials have also sought the list of active criminals of the area from the local police, sources said. Prima facie it seems that the incident has occurred amidst complete intelligence failure of the police.

The CBI is now probing whether that was intentional or unintentional and the concerned officers will also be grilled. CBI will take into their custody all the arrested persons and start interrogations. The SIT along with Rampurhat Police Station had arrested 21 persons in this case. The Birbhum district administration has handed over food and other relief materials to the victim families. Already five families have applied for jobs to the state government, sources said.

The central government has provided 35 armed Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) jawans to provide security to the CBI officers on duty at Birbhum. For them a separate barrack has been set up. A CBI team will visit Bataspur in Sainthia to talk with the families who fled the village after the incident in fear and are staying in their relatives’ houses since then. The statements will also be recorded by the CBI. Though the houses have been torched at night, the fire brigade personnel were able to enter the rooms in the houses only around 7.10 a.m. to remove the charred dead bodies.

Due to extreme heat inside the rooms the fire brigade personnel were unable to enter the rooms. Seven bodies were found in the house of Sona Sheikh. Many villagers are also now selling their cattle to leave their native places for the time being until the situation returns to normal and peace is restored. Incidentally, in April 2017, at least eight people have been killed and three injured in a bomb blast at Darbarpur village in Labhpur Police Station area of Birbhum district.