Coal trader's bloodstained body found in Malda

A gruesome murder has sent shockwaves through Malda district after coal trader Obaidullah Khan's bloodstained body, riddled with bullet wounds, was discovered in a mango orchard today – just a day after he was missing from his Kaliachak home. The 45-year-old businessman, a well-known figure in the local coal trade, left his College More Bathan residence around late evening yesterday on his bike for what his family thought was a routine errand. When he didn't return by evening, worried family members rushed to Kaliachak Police Station to file a missing person's report.

Little did they know, tragedy had already struck: his mutilated remains recovers from Katagar area under English Bazar Police Station, with his bike found nearby, turning the disappearance into a chilling homicide case.The family is heartbroken and baffled, claims Obaidullah was a peaceful man with no known enemies in his business dealings. Malda Police arrived swiftly at the orchard, cordoned off the site, and sent the body for post-mortem, which confirmed multiple gunshot injuries at close range, suggesting a ruthless execution-style killing. The bike, parked haphazardly near the body, showed no signs of a struggle, hinting the attack might have happened elsewhere before the body was dumped.

Officers are scanning CCTV footage from nearby roads and questioning to piece together his last movements. As the investigation kicks off, rising tensions increasing across coal trade, where rivalries over supplies and routes sometimes turn deadly, though nothing concrete points to a motive yet. Kaliachak and English Bazar police have formed a joint team, vowing quick arrests to calm frayed nerves in the community. Obaidullah's family, now grieving amid unanswered questions, pleads for justice, while the mango grove – once a peaceful spot – stands as a grim reminder of Malda's underbelly of violence