6 Flats In 1 Complex: Cops Nab Bizman Who Took Land On Lease After 10-Hour Hunt

Kolkata: The sole proprietor of Behera Brothers, Shambhunath Behera, the firm that owned the collapsed warehouse at Taratala, was arrested in the early hours of Thursday after police spent nearly 10 hours combing a residential complex on James Long Sarani where he had allegedly been hiding.

His family repeatedly claimed that he was not there.Behera, the businessman, who took the land on lease where the under-construction warehouse collapsed on Wednesday, was tracked down inside an apartment on the 10th floor belonging to a friend within the same residential complex. According to police sources, Behera returned to the residential complex near Taratala around 12.30 pm on Wednesday after learning about the collapse.

His driver later told cops that the businessman broke down upon hearing about the incident.From then on, his mobile phone’s tower location consistently showed he was inside the housing complex, though he stopped answering calls. As rescue operations continued at the collapse site, police teams repeatedly visited Behera’s residence and attempted to contact him. Family members allegedly told officers that he was not at home.

Investigators began an exhaustive search of the complex, where the Behera family owned six flats. Officers learnt that a flat on the 10th floor belonged to his wife. The breakthrough came sometime later during the wee hours. He was subsequently arrested. “The company that took the warehouse land on lease was a partnership firm. Earlier, it belonged to three brothers. Two brothers separated in 2009. At present, only Shambhunath Behera runs the firm.

His wife has also been enrolled as a partner,” said Kunal Agarwal, additional commissioner of police, crime, Kolkata Police.While being produced before the Alipore Court, Behera’s counsel, Tirthankar Roy, asked how can a landowner be arrested for an accident in which he had no role.State counsel Sourin Ghoshal, however, contended that Behera paid Rs 20 lakh to broker Abdul Hamid to get the building plan sanctioned by the KMC and Rs 2.4 crore to the contractor for the entire construction work. “The contractor used poor-quality materials, which ultimately led to the collapse,” Ghoshal told the court.After hearing both sides, the court remanded Behera and four others arrested along with him to police custody till July 4.