Shanti Lal Baid’s killer came to Kolkata in search of a job and the businessman had reportedly assured him of help, police said.
Baid, 63, who ran a jewellery store in Burrabazar in northwest Kolkata, was found murdered in a guesthouse on Sambhunath Pandit Street in south-central part of the city on Monday.
The suspect — Vishnu Sharma — had taken a ransom of Rs 25 lakh from Baid’s family before fleeing, the police said. Baid had been dead before the money changed hands.
Sharma had checked into the guesthouse on February 10 and left on February 13.
Early next morning, around 6.30am, he checked in again. This time he was accompanied by Baid, who paid the room tariff of Rs 800 for Sharma, police sources said.
“It is not clear why Sharma checked out on February 13 and why he returned the next morning,” said an investigator.
It is apparent from the electronic evidence the police have gathered that Sharma, who is from Delhi, was looking for a secured job in Kolkata and was banking on Baid.
He had visited the city at least thrice in the last one-and-a-half years and been in touch with Baid.
“He would stay in the same guesthouse every time he came to Kolkata. We have some evidence that Baid was helping him financially,” the officer said.
“It could be that Sharma was planning to leave the city on February 13 after failing to find a job. Baid seems to have convinced him to stay back and got him checked into the guesthouse the next morning. He paid the room tariff because the accused did not have any money on him,” the officer said.
Investigators said it was not clear why Sharma killed Baid despite the help and the assurance of a job.
