Barrackpore Municipality Vice-Chairman found dead at home, suicide note suggests blackmail

Kolkata : Trinamool Congress leader and Barrackpore Municipality Vice Chairman Satyajit Bandopadhyay was found dead at his residence on Saturday, police said, adding a suicide note found at the spot hinted at blackmail as the reason he allegedly took the extreme step.

His body was found hanging from the attic of his rented house in Barrackpore in West Bengal's North 24 Parganas district.

Police sent Bandhopadhyay's body for a post-mortem examination to ascertain whether this was a case of suicide or murder.

His family members told the investigating officials that after remaining missing for two days, the ruling party leader returned home late Friday night. He had left his mobile back at his home during the period he was missing.

Even after coming back home, he did not interact much with his family members. His body was found hanging on Saturday.

Addressing media persons, Barrackpore Municipality Chairman Moloy Ghosh said that he met Bandopadhyay last on Thursday at a meeting of the municipality.

"I heard that he went missing after that. When I last met him, I did not find anything unnatural in his behaviour. He was a long associate of mine and was elected a representative from the municipality in 1998. I hope that the police investigation will reveal the truth," he said.

The Barrackpore Police Commisionerate, who are investigating the unnatural death of Bandopadhyay, has recovered a suicide note which suggests that he committed suicide as he was unable to bear the pressure of the blackmail by a woman and her husband.

Sources aware of the development said that he has named the woman concerned and her husband in his note. As per the contents of the suicide note, the accused couple had extorted a few lakhs of rupees from Bandopadhyay by virtue of a fake video.

The deceased's son Sarthak Bandopadhya claimed that a total of four persons were named in the suicide note out of which two were known to the family member.

Deputy Commissioner, North, of the Barrackpore Police Commisionerate Ganesh Biswas said that the police have started a preliminary investigation on the death and nothing more can be revealed for the sake of investigation, However, sources aware of the development said that the video on the basis of which the deceased leader was being blackmailed would be examined to check whether the contents in the video are fake or genuine.

The latest incident happened just around 12 hours after a murder attempt was made on a Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC) Trinamool councillor Sushanta Ghosh late on Friday. Ghosh had a narrow escape.