The three were arrested from an undisclosed location on Kolkata suburb. (Representational)
Three persons were on Thursday arrested for their alleged involvement in the murder of an elderly Gujarati couple in the city's Bhawanipur area, but the “mastermind is still absconding”, city police commissioner Vineet Goyal said.
Mr Goyal stated that the crime was the fallout of financial dispute among family members.
Businessman Ashok Shah and his wife Rashmita were on Monday found dead at their flat on Harish Mukherjee Road, which is a high-security zone owing to its proximity to West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee's residence.
One of the three arrested admitted that he was the first one to stab Ashok Shah, Mr Goyal said.
"We have arrested three persons. The assailant who was the first one to stab Shah is among them. He has confessed to the crime. The mastermind on this case, a close relative of the Shah household, is yet to be arrested. He is absconding," the city police chief told reporters.
He also said that the three arrested are friends and neighbours of the key accused, all resident of Liluah in Howrah district.
"Shah had given a loan of Rs 1 lakh to the mastermind's brother, who died of COVID-19. This key accused is also believed to have taken loan from several others. He had approached Shah for a negotiation, which probably did not go well," Mr Goyal explained.
As the Shahs knew the mastermind, he and the others did not have a problem getting into the apartment, the police commissioner said, adding that Rashmita Shah had offered them water to drink.
"We hope to arrest the other involved in the case. The mastermind had told his associates that they may find money at Shah's home. He, too, had thought of looting the couple to replay his other loans,” Goyal, after grilling those arrested, told reporters.
The three were picked up from an undisclosed location on the city suburbs on Wednesday night and arrested on Thursday morning, police sources said Post-mortem revealed that the couple was killed between noon and 3 pm on Monday.
Gold ornaments worn by the deceased woman and several thousand rupees in cash were found missing from the house, after the double murder was detected The CM had visited the flat on Wednesday afternoon, on her return from north Bengal trip. She assured the family of all assistance.