Chinsurah, March 30: A Calcutta police constable was arrested from his office in the Maidan area last night on charges of hiring contract killers to murder a former colleague whose wife he was allegedly eyeing.

A Hooghly police team came to the city to pick up Sudip Banerjee, 26, who is posted at the South Traffic Guard.

Sacked Calcutta police constable Gopal Das, who was attacked in the Konnagar area of Uttarpara — 20km from the city — on March 9, told the police he suspected Sudip. The inspector in charge of Uttarpara, Prabir Roy, led the team last night.

Gopal, 35, was sitting in his cyber café when two young men walked in and shot at him, but missed the mark. As Gopal started running, the duo hurled bombs at him.

Vegetable vendor Sheikh Yasin was injured in one of the explosions and was admitted to Calcutta Medical College and Hospital.

The bullets had grazed Gopal.

“He alleged that Sudip was involved in the attempt on his life. He also said Sudip had an eye on his wife. The two, who had known each other for years, had an altercation over the matter six months ago,” said Roy.

Sudip lives in his official quarters in Chandernagore, 30km from Uttarpara.

The inspector said the po-lice could prove that Sudip had plotted Gopal’s murder.

“Calcutta police had been informed about the arrest beforehand,” said Serampore subdivisional police officer Ajay Thakur.

After the attack on Gopal, Sudip had been called to Uttarpara police station, but he did not turn up.

He was produced before the Serampore additional chief judicial magistrate today and remanded in five days’ police custody.

A search is on for the duo who attacked Gopal.

A senior Hooghly officer said Gopal was dismissed from service last month after he was charged with rape. He is now on bail. A north Calcutta woman had accused Gopal of raping her in 2006.

“He was dismissed after a departmental probe,” a senior Calcutta officer said.

During interrogation last night, Sudip apparently told the police he loved Gopal’s wife but denied engaging killers.