CBI forms 7-member SIT led by a DIG in Suvendu Adhikari’s aide murder case

The CBI has registered a case after taking over the FIR from West Bengal police. A seven-member SIT formed under IPS officer DIG Pankaj Kumar Singh is examining all case documents and taking custody of three men—Mayank Raj Mishra, Vicky Maurya (both from Bihar), and Raj Singh (from Uttar Pradesh). Singh is alleged to be involved in at least 15 murder cases in Bihar and Uttar Pradesh and is suspected to be the main contract killer in the Rath murder case. The SIT, comprising investigators from various agency units, will report to the joint director in Kolkata and has reached the crime spot with forensic experts to recreate the scene.

Rath, a 41-year-old former Indian Air Force serviceman, was shot dead from close range inside his SUV while returning home in the Madhyamgram area of North 24 Parganas district on the night of May 6, 2026. His driver Buddhadeb Bera was also shot and admitted to a private hospital; a third person, Mintu, was unhurt. Investigators began probing the motive and tracing those who hired the killers.

The article notes that the Rath murder occurred two days after BJP swept to power in West Bengal, ousting the Mamata Banerjee-led TMC government after 15 years.