Company Secretary found dead in Calcutta

Rakesh Gupta (top) and the entrance to the complex where he lived. Picture by Biswarup Dutta

Calcutta, Feb. 11: The company secretary of a real estate firm was today found trussed up in a bl**dy gunny bag beside a Sodepur pond, with the face smashed, limbs tied and strangulation marks on the neck.

The body of Rakesh Gupta, 40, who worked for the Shrachi group, was spotted around 6.45 this morning, about 12km from his VIP Enclave residence in Teghoria.

Gupta’s wife Babita is seven months pregnant. His eight-year-old daughter Richi studies in a south Calcutta school. He had called up Babita yesterday afternoon and said he would be returning home late.

Police said it was too early to say anything, but preliminary investigations showed Gupta was strangled and his face smashed with a blunt weapon before he was stuffed into the bag. They said an insider may have “lured” and done him in.

Gupta’s murder comes within five days of a promoter allegedly burning alive a defiant tenant in Shibpur by pumping cooking gas into a room through a drainpipe hole and then lighting a fire.

Residents of Ghola, on the northern fringes of the city, said they had been startled at the sight of blood oozing out of the suspicious bundle.

“We were stunned to see the blood which was visible from the gunny bag. The top portion of the bag was tied with a rope. We got apprehensive and alerted Ghola police station immediately,” said Asim Mondal.

Gupta had left home in a taxi around midday yesterday with his mother, who was going to Hyderabad for a relative’s wedding. After dropping her at the airport, he dialled Babita and told her he would be catching up with friends.

“That was the last time Babita spoke to him, the connection snapped after that. She called on his cell phone around 2.45 but found it switched off. No contact was established after that,” said Biswanath Ojha, Babita’s maternal uncle.

Babita began to feel uneasy when her husband, usually back by 8.30pm latest, did not show up till late at night. She called up some of his friends, but none knew his whereabouts. She then informed her uncle and other relatives.

“Babita told us he had been alright when he called up from the airport. Normally, he returns home latest by 8.30pm. We were very apprehensive but decided to wait till morning,” Biswanath said.

When Biswanath went to Baguiati police station this morning to lodge a missing diary, officers told him he could check out a body found at Ghola. The body, in a pink shirt and brown trousers, turned out to be Gupta’s.

“We cannot believe Rakesh is dead. He was a very nice man and we never had any problem with the family,” Sujata Jha, Gupta’s neighbour, said.

Gupta has been staying in a two-bedroom ground floor flat in VIP Enclave for seven years. His mother stays in a different block in the same complex.

Ravi Todi, an owner-director of the Shrachi group, said Gupta had been working with them for six months but had not been on duty yesterday.

“He was a straight guy, not very smart. We suspect this could be a case of mistaken identity or some personal rivalry. The company has launched an internal probe,” he said.

He claimed Gupta was not involved in any land deal.

The body has been sent for post-mortem. “Investigations are on to ascertain the motive behind the killing. We are probing all angles,” said Supratim Sarkar, the police superintendent of North 24-Parganas.