A chilling murder case has brought back memories of the infamous serial stoneman murders which shook in Kolkata in the late 1980s. This time the murder suggested that stoneman is indeed back in Kolkata albeit in a different avatar.

Exactly following the modus operandi of Kolkata’s Stoneman in the 1980s, a sleeping youth was stoned to death in the city late on Monday. On Tuesday morning, locals saw the body of a young man lying on the footpath near Sudesh Bhavan on 162A Sharat Bose Road under Tollygunge police station and informed the police. The discovery of the body of a young man at 7 am on Tuesday created a huge sensation in the area.

A brick was lying near the head of the deceased

When a police team reached the spot, they found the man lying on his side. A brick was lying near his head. There were injury marks on his body, right hand was broken and left year was bleeding. The body was recovered and sent to the hospital for autopsy.

After examining the CCTV footage, police identified the deceased as Somnath Chakraborty who lived on the footpath. Somnath Chakraborty aka Bumba was a resident of Maheshtala police station area. He mainly earned his living by washing cars and doing other part time jobs.

He slept at night on various sidewalks on Sarat Bose Road. However, a local tea shop owner claimed that he had never slept at the place where his body was found on Tuesday morning. The tea seller was the first to see Somnath lying unconscious. Many others were sleeping on that sidewalk.

Murder for revenge?

It has been learnt that another man named Raju Naskar, who washed cars in that locality had a long-standing dispute with Somnath. Raju also works as a car wash worker in the area. Locals claim that Somnath had recently started washing some of the cars which Raju used to wash earlier.

The quarrel between them intensified over time which eventually led to the murder, suspects police. After the incident, Raju went missing, which increased the police’s suspicion.

Stoneman’s identity revealed

Raju hails from Jaynagar in South 24 Parganas district near Kolkata. Raju Naskar alias Napit murdered Somnath, according to police. Raju has previous criminal cases.

A team from Tollygunge police station arrested Raju Naskar from his hometown Jaynagar. Arrested Raju confessed to his crime during police interrogation which revealed shocking information.

‘Stoneman’ Raju’s past criminal cases

Raju was also caught while attacking a pedestrian in Kolkata’s Park Circus area with a stone in April last year. The accused has also attacked several pedestrians in the Rabindra Sarovar area with a blade at night. Raju alias Napit would target various footpath dwellers at night.

Stoneman murders Kolkata and Mumbai

The Stoneman murders in Kolkata refer to a series of unsolved homicides that took place in the city during the mid-1980s. Between 1985 and 1989, multiple homeless individuals were brutally murdered in Kolkata and Mumbai, with similar methods used in both cities. The serial killer would strike at night, targeting isolated areas where homeless people slept, and crush their skulls with heavy stones or concrete slabs.

At least 12 homeless people were murdered in Mumbai’s Sion and King’s Circle areas while at least 13 homeless people were murdered in Kolkata between June 1989 and the following six months. The killer used massive stones weighing up to 30 kg to crush the victims’ heads while they slept.

Despite numerous arrests and investigations, no one was ever charged or convicted in connection with the murders. The police deployed more officers in various parts of the city, but the lack of eyewitnesses and forensic evidence made it challenging to solve the case. Some speculate that the same person or group might have been responsible for the murders in both cities, given the similarities in modus operandi. However, this has never been confirmed.

The Stoneman murders have had a lasting impact on Kolkata’s social and cultural fabric, highlighting the vulnerabilities of the city’s homeless population and the limitations of the criminal justice system.

The Stoneman murders have inspired several films, including Hindi film “The Stoneman Murders” (2009) and Bengali movie “Baishe Srabon” (2011), which explore the mystery and horror surrounding the case.

Long or Short, get news the way you like. No ads. No redirections. Download Newspin and Stay Alert, The CSR Journal Mobile app, for fast, crisp, clean updates!

App Store –  https://apps.apple.com/in/app/newspin/id6746449540 

Google Play Store – https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.inventifweb.newspin&pcampaignid=web_share