Police are now scrutinising the witness testimony of Montu Mandal, the third person who was travelling with Suvendu Adhikari’s PA, Chandranath Rath and driver Buddhadeb Bera before they were shot dead by assailants on Thursday.
The 33-year-old is the only one who escaped unharmed.
According to his brother Jhantu, Montu escaped the attack as he sat on the rear left seat, which hid him from the shooters.
The SIT now considers Montu as the most crucial witness in the murder and has been scrutinising his account to see if there were any suspicious calls made to Ran before the incident occurred.
The killing of the BJP leader's close aide meanwhile has highlighted the recurring pattern of unnatural deaths around Suvendu Adhikari.
Pradip Jha
Pradip Jha used to work as Adhikari’s personal assistant when he was still with the Trinamool Congress. In August 2013, Jha was found unconscious on a pavement in Kolkata's Strand Road and was later declared dead.
He was 42 years old.
Investigators reportedly found food lodged in his windpipe and alcohol in his stomach, leading them to conclude that the death was caused by choking.
Subhabrata Chakraborty
Subhabrata Chakraborty was Adhikari’s personal security officer. In 2018, he was found dead at a police barracks. Police treated the case as a suicide, saying that he allegedly shot himself with his service revolver.
The case made a comeback in 2021 when Chakraborty's wife sought a fresh probe into o the incident. The case eventually fuelled a political confrontation with rival parties, the BJP and Trinamool, who accused each other of attempting to politicise the case.
Pulak Lahri
In 2021, another personal aide to Adhikari, Pulak Lahiri, reportedly died under unusual circumstances. However, no conclusive finding establishing criminal conspiracy in the death was made public.
Suvendhu Adhikari has now taken oath as the Chief Minister of West Bengal which makes him the first BJP leader to become CM in the state.