The 75-year-old man who was found lifeless at the foot of a staircase in his Golf Green residence on Saturday was allegedly rolled down the first-floor staircase by his son-in-law twice on Friday evening, leading to fatal injuries, police said.
Samik Kishore Gupta, a retired state government official, was lifted from his bed on the ground floor by his son-in-law, Sanjit Das, and subsequently hurled down the staircase. He was once more lifted and taken to the first floor, only to be thrown down again, the police said.
This happened after a quarrel between Gupta and his daughter on Friday.
Officers of Kolkata Police said the murder motive was not clear till late on Sunday.
“The elderly man who was grievously hurt after being thrown from the first floor was again picked up by the son-in-law and taken upstairs. He was again thrown from the first floor and made to roll over the stairs till he landed on the ground floor,” said joint commissioner (crime), Kolkata Police, Rupesh Kumar.
Gupta, when rescued from the ground floor of the house in Kalabagan Lane, Golf Green, the next morning, was long dead, police suspect.
“Bleeding injuries were found on his head, bruises were found on his back, knees, hands, and chest,” Kumar said.
Gupta, his wife Jayashree, 70, their daughter Soumashree, 28, and son Sujay, 26, lived in the house.
Less than a month ago, Soumashree got married to Das, 30, of 36/3, Price Golam Mohammad Shah Road, who is a marble slab fitter and had worked at Gupta’s office.
“After her marriage, Soumashree used to come to the house daily to cook meals. She and her husband were at the home on Friday evening,” said an officer.
The father and daughter quarrelled over some issue, and it was then that Das allegedly picked the elderly man from his bed on the first floor and threw him off the stairs.
When Gupta survived the attack, the son-in-law threw him off the staircase once more. The daughter and son-in-law left the Golf Green home later on Friday evening.
Gupta’s wife, Jayashree, who lives on the ground floor, raised an alarm on Saturday morning and took the help of the neighbours to rescue her husband. Gupta had, however, died by then.
The couple’s son was found under his bed on the first floor with injuries.
Based on the complaint by the victim’s wife, police have started a case and picked up Das for interrogation on Saturday night. Das was arrested early on Sunday morning and charged with murder.