Vinay Rai, alias Pampum Rai, wanted in the Chandranath Rath murder case in West Bengal, was arrested in Uttar Pradesh's Varanasi on Monday night, reports said. Accused of being involved in the conspiracy to murder Rath, the PA to Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari, Vinay Rai is the fifth person to be arrested in connection with the sensitive case.
The accused was produced before the Chief Judicial Magistrate's court in Varanasi, which granted the CBI transit remand until 6 p.m. on May 21, regional media reports said.
A resident of Deoria village in the Zamania area of Ghazipur district, Vinay Rai reportedly runs a truck transport business in Bihar and Jharkhand. A history-sheeter, he has been charged in Ghazipur and Delhi under several serious sections, including murder, attempted murder, and criminal conspiracy, reports read.
Meanwhile, Hindi media ruled out any official confirmation regarding the surrender of Santosh Rai, another accused in the case, in Bihar. On Tuesday, it was noted that one Raj Kumar Singh had been arrested on May 11 by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) from Muzaffarnagar in connection with Chandranath Rath's murder in West Bengal. Police records do not portray him as a major criminal; however, he is described as an impulsive youth who has been involved in cases involving physical altercations and brooked little interaction with villagers.
Rath, the executive assistant to Adhikari, was shot dead in Madhyamgram on May 6, two days after the declaration of the fiercely fought West Bengal Assembly polls results. The incident took place on a public road at Doharia in the Madhyamgram area.