The Central Bureau of Investigation sleuths on Thursday nabbed four persons hailing from West Bengal from Mumbai for their alleged involvement in the Birbhum killings, an officer of the agency said.
These are the first arrests made by the CBI since it took over the probe into the March 21 killings in Bogtui village following the Calcutta high court's order.
Bappa SK alias Sal Mohamad, Sabu SK alias Sadril SK, Taj Mohammad alias Chand and Serajul SK alias Poltu who had escaped to Mumbai from Bogtui after the violence were sheltered by people close to them, the agency said.
The CBI traced their hideout in Mumbai using technical and human intelligence following which the information was passed on to its Mumbai unit which apprehended them this morning, it said.
"Of the four arrested accused, two persons -- identified as Bappa and Shabu Sheikh -- were named in the FIR lodged in connection with the killings. We will produce them before a court in Mumbai and plea for a transit remand to West Bengal," he said.
Eight people were burnt alive and one succumbed to injuries later, after assailants firebombed several houses in the village hours after the murder of local Trinamool Congress leader Bhadu Sheikh.
A Special Investigation Team constituted by the state government was earlier probing the case.
"The arrested accused were produced today before the jurisdictional court and were granted transit remand till April 10, 2022," CBI spokesperson RC Joshi said in Rampurhat.
