WB businessman Rajesh Jha's murder: first arrest made

East Burdwan District Police in West Bengal has made the first arrest in connection with the murder of businessman Rajesh Jha on April 1, who was allegedly involved in a coal smuggling case.

The accused, identified as Abhijeet Mandal from West Burdwan's Kankasa, was taken into custody late on Tuesday and arrested on Wednesday morning after discrepancies were found in his statements during questioning. According to the police, Mandal's role was to keep a watch on Rajesh's activities and convey information to the killers through his phone.

Rajesh Jha had joined the Bharatiya Janata Party in 2020 and was under investigation by the West Bengal Police and CID for his alleged involvement in coal smuggling. On the night of April 1, he was sitting at a dhaba on National Highway No. 2, when he was shot dead by bike-borne assailants.

The vehicle Rajesh was using at the time of the incident belongs to Abdul Latif, who is under the scanner of central agencies for cattle smuggling, and has been linked to Anuvrat Mandal, a Bahubali leader of Birbhum district who was arrested in a cattle smuggling case. The murder has raised several questions and remains a mystery.