The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on Monday arrested proclaimed offender Khalid-Uz-Zaman, who had been absconding in connection with a 2021 West Bengal post-poll violence murder case. He was apprehended from the remote Yetala village in Maharashtra’s Nanded district after remaining on the run since the case was registered.
The case pertains to the alleged murder of Hasnur Zaman on May 3, 2021, at North Kalsara village in West Bengal’s North 24 Parganas district during the post-poll violence that followed the Assembly elections.
The CBI had taken over the investigation on September 1, 2021, following directions issued by the Calcutta High Court on August 19, 2021. The agency investigated the case originally registered as Duttapukur Police Station FIR No. 286/2021.
During the investigation, the CBI filed charge sheets and supplementary charge sheets against 13 accused persons during 2021-22, including Khalid-Uz-Zaman. However, the accused had remained absconding and never joined the investigation or trial, leading to him being declared a proclaimed offender.
Following his arrest, Khalid-Uz-Zaman will be produced before the competent court at Dharmabad in Maharashtra for transit remand. Thereafter, he will be taken to Kolkata and produced before the Court of the Additional Sessions Judge at Barasat, West Bengal, for further legal proceedings.
The arrest marks a significant breakthrough in the CBI’s investigation into the 2021 post-poll violence cases in West Bengal.
