Five people were arrested and two minors have been detained in West Bengal’s South 24 Parganas district in connection with the death of a Kerala resident, police said on Monday.
A Kerala resident, Sukdeb alias Sandip, was allegedly beaten to death in Kultali on June 9 on suspicion of being a criminal.
He was visiting a nearby market with Hiralal Das, who brought him to his home as a guest, but Sukdeb lost his way and wandered into Sankijahan village.
Das, a Kultali resident, visited Kerala every year for work, and brought Sukdeb home as his guest when he returned around a week ago, police added.
“Das took Sukdeb to the local market on June 9 but the two got separated in a crowded area. The Kerala resident lost his way and reached Sankijahan, where local people found his movements suspicious. When he could not answer their questions, they tied him up and assaulted him on the suspicion that he was a criminal,” a district police officer said, requesting anonymity.
He added that the man was rescued by police and paramilitary personnel, however he succumbed to injuries later at the Kultali rural hospital.
Das was arrested on June 13.
“The deceased’s background is unclear. The probe indicates he could speak only a few Hindi words and Das knew a few Malayalam words. Das claims that they became friends during his visits to Kerala and he invited him to his home,” the officer said.
Seven people were arrested on June 13 and 14. While the district juvenile justice board sent the two minors, aged around 15 years, to a juvenile correctional facility, the Baruipur court remanded three men in judicial custody and two in police custody on Sunday.
