THREE ARRESTED IN MURDER OF FORMER CUSTOMS OFFICER

THREE ARRESTED IN MURDER OF FORMER CUSTOMS OFFICER

22-OCT-ENG 1

RAJIV NAYAN AGRAWAL

ARA----------------------------In a major breakthrough in the sensational murder case of retired customs officer and Kshatriya Kalyan Sangh president Ramkumar Singh, Bhojpur Police have arrested three key accused, including the main conspirator Chandan Singh.

The arrested persons are Chandan Singh, a resident of Barki Singhi village under Nagar police station; Abhishek Yadav of Bind Toli under the same police station; and Tipu Kumar of Chandwa Housing Colony under Nawada police station. Tipu Kumar is a government Amin currently posted in a district. Chandan Singh and Abhishek Yadav were arrested from Kolkata Airport, while Tipu Kumar was apprehended from Ara.

A pistol recovered during a raid at Chandan Singh’s house is under examination. With these arrests, the total number of accused taken into custody in the case has risen to four. Raids are continuing to arrest the remaining accused. Bhojpur Superintendent of Police Avadhesh Dixit shared these details at a press conference on Wednesday.

SP Dixit said that considering the seriousness of the case, a Special Investigation Team (SIT) was formed under the leadership of Sadar SDPO-1 Sushil Kumar, which included senior police officers. On the basis of technical evidence, the team arrested Chandan Singh and Abhishek Yadav from Kolkata Airport. Tipu Kumar was arrested from Ara on their disclosure.

The incident occurred on the morning of 15 October 2026 around 6 a.m. Ramkumar Singh was shot dead near the eastern gate of Kanakpuri Jain College while he was leaving his house for a morning walk. After taking out his car, he was locking the garage when bike-borne assailants lying in wait fired seven to eight bullets at him.

An FIR (Case No. 784/26) was registered at Nawada police station on the statement of the deceased’s son Amit Kumar alias Goldy. The FIR named 14 persons, including Chandan Singh, the then Mufassil Station House Officer Inspector Ram Kalyan Yadav, and revenue employee Vishnu Dev Singh. While Chandan Singh and others have been accused of firing the shots, Inspector Ram Kalyan Yadav, Vishnu Dev Singh and others have been named for hatching the conspiracy.

According to the SP, the murder was planned over a long-standing land dispute. The disputed land is located in Singhi mauza (police station number 245, plot number 69, khata number 88). Ramkumar Singh had been in possession of the land since 2006 and had even constructed a boundary wall on it in 2020. In 2025, the opposing party obtained a power of attorney for the same land and registered it in the names of different persons, fully aware that Ramkumar Singh had been in continuous possession for nearly 20 years. Mutation was also carried out on the basis of the power of attorney.

SP Dixit revealed that the accused had meticulously planned the crime 15–20 days in advance. Three to four days before the incident, they withdrew all money from their bank accounts and transferred it to their wives’ accounts. Family members were shifted to other places. New SIM cards, mobile phones and bank accounts were obtained to evade police tracking.

After committing the murder, Chandan Singh and Abhishek Yadav first fled to Siliguri, then proceeded to Gangtok, and finally reached Kolkata. They were planning to fly to Bengaluru from Kolkata Airport when they were arrested. During the arrest and even while staying in hotels earlier, Chandan Singh had been using a false name.

The SP further disclosed that primary accused Manoj Singh alias Lucky, who was arrested earlier from Bhojpur, was a partner in the disputed land and was also involved at the time of registration. Investigation has revealed that Chandan Singh used to form groups of 10–12 people, manipulate land documents, and obtain power of attorney in his favour.

Police have identified several organised land mafias operating in the district who prepare forged documents to grab properties. Strict action will be taken against them to prevent recurrence of such incidents.

Charge sheets will be filed against the arrested accused at the earliest, and the court will be requested for a speedy trial so that the accused can be punished promptly and justice delivered to the victim’s family.