Officers of the homicide wing of the detective department of Kolkata Police and Bhawanipore thana, investigating the couple murder case at an apartment in Bhawanipore on Monday, are still clueless about the “identity of the assailants” behind the murder.
The though preliminary investigation and circumstantial evidence gathered from the place of occurrence suggested the murder for gain was the likely motive.
Furthermore, the investigation today also revealed that Rashmita Shah (52), wife of the slain Ashok Shah, was allegedly shot at as a mark of a bullet injury was allegedly found on her head, after an empty cartridge was found from the spot.
While her husband Ashok Shah (56) was suspected to have been stabbed as multiple marks of wounds allegedly inflicted with a sharp weapon had been found on his body.
Besides, the cops are also concerned about the alleged non-functioning of the three CCTV cameras installed around the apartment, which would have been of immense help in the investigation, claimed an officer. Now, they had to only pin their hopes on the CCTV put up at the end of the road to make any headway in the investigation.
Meanwhile, the cops today quizzed three persons, including the domestic help of the Shahs, a contract labourer of an under-construction, adjacent to the victim’s apartment to elicit any information regarding the alleged murder.
An officer of the detective department, who is party to the investigation team said on condition of anonymity that initial investigation into the murder suggested that the couple had a scuffle with the assailants as marks of injury on the body of Ashok Shah bore the indication of an alleged resistance to thwart the assassins from committing robbery as investigation revealed that valuables like gold chain, ring and bangles along with Rs 30,000 had been found missing either from the victim’s body, and the cupboard.
While the cops are working on the murder-for-gain theory as the motive, they are also exploring of an alleged dispute in selling the victim’s Bhawanipore property, though the cps are not ready to disclose anything more.
An officer said that all angles of “personal enmity or any business rivalry” that Ashok was in were also being investigated. Neighbours of the Shahs said that the couple was peace-loving.
But some said that Ashok, who was a stock broker, was looking to shift somewhere by selling the property, for which he had allegedly fixed a price of Rs 60 lakh for sale.
For this many brokers would come to him. Police are looking into the deal, said an officer.
Ashok Shah and his wife, Rashmita were found murdered at their apartment at 73B, Harish Mukherjee Road at Bhawanipore on Monday night. One of their daughters, who after getting no response to her repeated calls to them, found both lying in their living room on their first-floor apartment with the front door ajar. She informed the police and a probe had been launched to nab the culprits.