Police investigating the murder of Kolkata cab driver Bhagwan Prasad Gupta suspect that he was targeted by a group that boarded his cab as passengers, robbed him on an isolated stretch and left his body inside the vehicle in Entally. The suspected route runs from the Madhyamgram area towards the Kalyani Expressway and eastern Kolkata.
Gupta’s body was found inside a cab on DC Dey Road in Entally on Wednesday morning, according to a report by Sanmarg. Police said he had been strangled and that both his legs were tied. The vehicle was allegedly driven to Entally after the attack, with the body left inside it before the suspects fled.
Investigators said Gupta was last seen in the Madhyamgram area until around 10 pm on Tuesday. Police suspect that two or three people may have entered the cab by posing as passengers. According to the preliminary theory reported by the police, the suspects may have taken the driver towards an isolated section of the Kalyani Expressway and robbed him of his mobile phone, wallet, gold chain and ring.
The exact location of the attack has not yet been established. Police are examining footage from toll plazas and nearby surveillance cameras to reconstruct the cab’s route from Madhyamgram to Entally. The investigation is also examining whether the driver was killed after resisting the alleged robbery.
A major challenge for investigators is the lack of CCTV coverage in the area where Gupta is suspected to have been taken. The camera near the spot in Entally where the cab was found was also reported to be non-functional. Police are checking whether the failure was coincidental or whether the suspects were aware of the camera’s condition. No conclusion on that question has been reported.
The case has also led investigators to examine a suspected robbery group operating in Kolkata’s northern suburbs. Police believe that members of such a group may have previously targeted cab or other vehicle drivers by travelling as passengers. The possible connection remains part of the investigation and has not been established as fact.
Police are currently focusing on technical leads from Gupta’s mobile phone, CCTV footage and the cab’s route. The investigation is intended to establish whether the people who boarded the vehicle with an alleged intention to rob the driver were responsible for the killing and for transporting the body to Entally.
