Kaushik Basu

Police have decided to drop charges against Kaushik Basu and Sabitri Dandapat, who were arrested in connection with the hoax terror mail that had threatened a series of blasts in the city on July 29.

Kaushik and Sabitri were booked under sections 121 (waging war against the state) and 120B (involvement in criminal conspiracy).

“The duo did not send the mail. They did not take part in any anti-national activities,” said a senior police officer.

The sleuths had traced the mail to Kaushik’s cyber cafe in Salt Lake’s IA block. Sabitri was an employee in the cafe.

Kaushik’s police remand ends on Tuesday and Sabitri’s, the day after. The sleuths, however, have not yet made up their minds when to drop the charges. “If we do not withdraw the case during the next hearing, we will at least not oppose their bail plea,” the officer said.

“There is no concrete evidence against Kaushik and Sabitri. They were arrested in a hurry. The case should have been handled more carefully,” the officer added.

Sabitri Dandapat

Kaushik’s wife Malini, going through the “worst phase” of her life, said: “My neighbours are asking me whether I could spend the rest of my life with a man who had been in custody. Will the police compensate us for the humiliation and agony they forced on us?”

Kaushik’s mother Roma feels her son has been mentally shattered. “I could not look at him when I went to meet him in the detective department,” she said.

As for Sabitri, the Basu family has resolved to stand by her. “Where will she go if we drive her out?” asked Kaushik’s father Asim.

The sleuths are looking for a youth in his mid-20s they suspect of having sent the mail from Kaushik’s cyber cafe.

Kaushik was arrested hours after the mail was sent on July 29, while Sabitri was rounded up the next day. Police commissioner Gautam Mohan Chakrabarti had termed Kaushik’s arrest “excellent work” done by sleuths. He had also claimed that the sleuths had “strong evidence” against the cyber cafe owner.