After four years of evading arrest, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has apprehended Arun Dey, a prime accused in the murder of BJP worker Abhijit Sarkar during the 2021 post-poll violence in West Bengal. Dey, for whom a ₹50,000 reward had been announced, was arrested from a secret hideout in North 24 Parganas.
Sarkar, a resident of Kankurgachi in North Kolkata, was killed on May 2, 2021, shortly after the Trinamool Congress secured a sweeping victory in the state assembly elections. The CBI took over the case following a Calcutta High Court directive, and in September 2021, a trial court declared five individuals, including Dey, as absconders.
The remaining four accused—Sukhdeo Podder (alias Sukha), Gopal Das (alias Vishal), Amit, and Biswajit Das (alias Bomba)—are still at large. All five were reportedly close to local Trinamool leaders, including MLA Paresh Paul and KMC councillor Swapan Samaddar. While Paul has been questioned, his exclusion from the charge sheet has drawn criticism from Sarkar’s family.
Dey is expected to be produced in a special court in Kolkata, where the CBI will likely seek his custody for further interrogation.