Tripura editor sent to judicial custody in triple murder

A court in Agartala Saturday sent Tripura newspaper editor Sushil Choudhury to two days judicial custody in a triple murder case, an official said.

Police Friday arrested Choudhury, 72, editor-cum-owner of Bengali daily 'Dainik Ganadoot' in connection with the murder of three employees of his newspaper May 19.

"Before Choudhury was presented in the court, he was grilled overnight by senior police officers at the West Kotowali police station," a police spokesman told reporters.

Choudhury will be presented before court Monday, a police official said.

A police officer involved in the investigation said: "The killings might be related to property or illicit affairs."

"The investigators are confident that they would be able to book the other culprits," the spokesman said.

A large number of journalists and on-lookers gathered in the court complex, where the accused was presented before the court. A huge contingent of police was deployed to keep the situation under control.

Choudhury is the second accused to be arrested for the crime. Niyoti Ghosh, wife of slain driver Balaram Ghosh, was arrested May 31. She is in judicial custody till June 20.

Police said that they arrested Choudhury after getting some specific inputs from Niyoti Ghosh.

Niyoti's husband Balaram Ghosh, manager Ranjit Choudhury (a former Border Security Force employee) and proof reader Sujit Bhattacharjee were murdered in the 'Dainik Ganadoot' office in the heart of the capital city.

Inspector General of Police (Law and Order) Rajiv Singh and west district police Chief Bijoy Nag supervised the probe into the killings.

Niyoti Ghosh and her 13-year-old daughter witnessed the murder of Balaram Ghosh, who was stabbed to death by two assailants. The culprits fled from the scene on a motorcycle. The family lived in the same building in which the newspaper office was situated.