india

Updated: Oct 15, 2019 16:10 IST

Police in West Bengal’s Murshidabad district said on Tuesday they have solved the murders of a man, his pregnant wife and son with the arrest of a 20-year-old mason, a week after they were killed over an insurance policy.

Utpal Behra was arrested on Monday night on charges of murdering 35-year-old Bandhu Prakash Pal, also known as Prakash Pal, his wife Beauty, and six-year-old son Angan on October 8 in Jiaganj area, about 240 km away from Kolkata.

The 28-year-old Beauty was eight months pregnant, police have said.

Murshidabad’s superintendent of police Mukesh, who uses one name, said on Tuesday Behra told them he killed the family after Pal abused him when asked for a receipt for the insurance premium he had paid.

Behra did not display any remorse during interrogation, he added.

“Behra bought an insurance policy from Prakash Pal. The insurance was for a period of 11 years and he twice paid annual premiums of Rs 24,167. Behra paid the money in cash and got the receipt for the first premium paid in 2018,” said Mukesh.

“But he did not get the receipt for the second premium that he paid many days ago. Behra insisted that Pal hand over the receipt or return him the cash,” he said.

Mukesh said Behra called Pal, a primary school teacher, at around 10:37am on the day of the murders, asked for directions to his home and reached there. Behra worked in Egra of East Midnapore district, about 112 km away from Sagardighi of Murshidabad district.

Behra and Pal were from the same village Sahapur and they went to the same school Sahapur Santal High School.

“Behra used to call Pal uncle,” said Mukesh.

The officer said Behra came to Pal’s home with the intention to kill him on October 8.

“After opening the door, as soon as Pal turned around, Behra stabbed him from behind. As Pal slumped to the ground, Behra went to the bedroom of his wife and killed her. The last person to be murdered was the six-year-old,” he said.

The murders were committed between 12:06pm and 12:11pm, Mukesh said.

Police had questioned Behra twice in the past few days but let him off on both occasions. He was summoned for the third time on Monday for questioning and arrested.

Police will produce him before a court in the district seeking 14-day custody.

Behra’s mother Khyama Behra claimed her son was innocent.

Relatives of Beauty had said earlier they suspected Pal’s friend and business partner Souvik Banik alias Deep of committing the murders. Murshidabad Police had questioned Banik and several other people in connection with the murders. On Tuesday, police officers said that Banik had no link with the murder.

The gruesome murders sent a shockwave across the states as the ruling Trinamool Congress came under the Bharatiya Janata Party’s (BJP) attack. Leaders of its West Bengal unit leaders had staged a sit-in protest last Saturday to protest against the killings.

BJP leaders had also claimed Pal was a Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) activist and the murder was an act of political vendetta. Pal’s relatives denied he had any link with either the BJP or RSS.

Governor Jagdeep Dhankhar had slammed the administration for inadequate attention to the gruesome crime.