Chandanmoy Nandi and Tamzit Ahmed being taken away by sleuths on Tuesday evening. Picture by Gopal Senapati

Two Bangladeshi men were arrested at Howrah station on Monday evening while they were on their way to Bhopal, allegedly to kill a trader.

The two were part of a seven-member gang. The Criminal Investigation Department (CID) failed to arrest the other members of the gang.

Chandanmoy Nandi, alias Titu, and Tamzit Ahmed, alias Mishu, were rounded up while they were settling down in a three-tier coach of Sipra Express on Monday. Two 9-mm revolvers were found on the two.

This is the first time in recent years that the CID has come across Bangladeshi criminals who were planning to murder someone outside West Bengal with the help of criminals here.

“We are yet to find out why the gang had targeted Swapan Dey, who runs a transport agency and owns a stationery shop in Bhopal. Titu and Mishu appear to be contract killers,” said P. Nirajnayan, deputy inspector-general, CID.

“Titu had spent a lot of money, to the tune of a few lakhs, to hire criminals in the city for the job. We need time to find out more about the gang,” added Nirajnayan.

A resident of Bilpur, in Chittagong, Titu, in his mid-30s, crossed over to India a few months back. He rented a house in Madhyamgram, on the northern fringes of the city. The investigators believe that he helped Mishu, a resident of Dolkhola, in Khulna, to cross the border and rent a house at Arifbari More, in Barasat.

“During his stay in Madhyamgram, Titu was in touch with Bangladeshi youths who were hiding in and around the city, and local criminals. He managed to form a gang to carry out the killing. We had informed Bhopal police about them and also kept our team ready,” said an officer.

According to sources, the CID found out about Titu while interrogating Supriyo Mullick, a Bangladeshi who was arrested in Baranagar on June 8 in connection with the murder of an engineer and his driver in Singur a few months ago.

“Four members of the gang were to board the train at Howrah, while the others were supposed to board from Burdwan with ammunition. Strangely, none of the gang members, except the two who were arrested, turned up at the stations,” said a CID officer.

Dey, the 43-year-old trader who has been a resident of Bhopal for 15 years, does not have any business links in Bangladesh. “The family may have property in Bangladesh and there could be problems over that,” said Nirajnayan.