Raiganj, Aug. 30 -- Twenty-two days after the murder of a school headmaster in Islampur, North Dinajpur, police arrested two persons, including a woman suspected to be the mastermind behind the killing.
The arrested woman, Minnata Khatun, a teacher at a local SSK, was picked up from her residence at Vivekananda Para on Saturday night. Another accused, Mahammad Musaraf alias Lala, was arrested from Delhi. Police have started the process of bringing him to Islampur on transit remand.
According to police, Najrul Islam (57), headmaster of Ramganj Rajbhim FP School and former president of the Trinamool Congress Primary Education Cell of Islampur block, was shot dead on August 8 while he was travelling to school on his motorcycle. Two unidentified miscreants allegedly intercepted him at Madaripur and opened fire. Najrul sustained a bullet injury to his abdomen and died on the way to North Bengal Medical College and Hospital.
Following the murder, police visited the residence of the deceased and took his mobile phone in their custody as part of the investigation. Police arrested Minnata Khatun on Saturday night. Police subsequently interrogated her and arrested Musaraf from Delhi.
Rukshana Khatun, the deceased teacher's wife, said: "It seems Minnata was the mastermind behind the murder. I came to know that Minnata had taken Rs 4 lakh from Najrul as an advance, promising to sell her house to him."
Rakesh Singh, Superintendent of Police, Islampur Police District, said: "Minnata was produced before court on Sunday with a prayer for police custody. Musaraf had been arrested in Delhi and would be brought back to Islampur."
Published by HT Digital Content Services with permission from Millennium Post.