Vehicle workshop owner murdered in Siliguri

Prashant Acharya, EOI, SILIGURI, 26 Nov 2016: The husband of a former councillor of the Siliguri Municipal Corporation  was found dead inside his car workshop at Pranami Mandir Road in the Punjabi Para area of Siliguri. The deceased has been identified as Manoj Sharma, the husband of Sharmila Sharma, a former councillor of Ward 40. Manoj (45) was a resident of the Ektiasal area of Siliguri and the owner of the workshop.

Family sources said a man from Bannerhat had come looking for work at the garage a few days ago and Manoj had offered him to keep him as a security guard. The details of the security guard are not known to the family members.

On Friday night, when Manoj did not return home, his wife tried calling him on his mobile phone but his phone was unreachable. After several attempts, the security guard answered the call and said Manoj was heavily drunk and not in a state to speak. The guard was instructed to tell Manoj to go home, but he failed to turn up. Moreover, his phone became unreachable again.

When workers opened the workshop this morning, they found Manoj’s lifeless body inside but the security guard was nowhere in sight. They then alerted his family members. Three mobile phones, a gold bracelet, rings that belonged to Manoj were missing as well as a scooty.

The body has been sent to the North Bengal Medical College and Hospital for a post mortem.

Anup Majumdar, Bhaktinagar police station IC, said, “We have started an investigation; no arrest has been made so far. The deceased appears to have been murdered during the night."

Newsmen.in, Siliguri, 26 November: THE husband of a former Congress councillor of Siliguri Municipal Corporation (SMC) has been found murdered at Pranami Mandir Road in the town. 

The blood stained body of Manoj Sharma (45) was found inside his automobile workshop at located at Pranami Mandir Road today morning. His scooter, thee mobile phones, a gold bracelet and three rings were missing. 

A resident of Ektiashal in the town, he was the husband of Sharmila Sharma, a former Congress councillor of SMC’s ward number 40.Sharmila said that when Manoj did not return home until late last evening, they dialled his mobile phone but it was picked up the workshop security guard Sumit Chhetri. 

He told them that Manoj was drunk and was not in a position to talk. Today morning, when workers opened the worship, they found Manoj’s body lying on the ground and the security guard Chhetri missing. 

They subsequently called up Manoj’s family and the Bhaktinagar police station. Police have retrieved the dead body and have sent it for post-mortem. The family has pointed finger at the missing security guard who hails from Banarhat in Dooars and was hired by Manoj only about a fortnight ago.
The cops have launched a manhunt for Chhetri.