The eldest of the two brothers of the Tangra family, Pranay Dey, was arrested on Saturday, after he was released from NRS Medical College Hospital, for allegedly killing three members of his family in February.
Pranay, 40, was undergoing treatment for nearly three months at the state-run healthcare facility since he was shifted from Ruby General Hospital.
He was admitted to Ruby after he survived a car crash on EM Bypass along with his brother Prasun and his 14-year-old son.
The wives of Prasun and Pranay and Prasun’s teenage daughter were found dead at their Atul Sur Road home in Tangra on February 18. The three bodies were found in three bedrooms on the first floor of the four-storey building.
Prasun was arrested in March, soon after he was released from NRS hospital.
“Pranay was arrested after he was released from the hospital, where he was undergoing treatment following a road accident. He was booked under sections 103 (1) and 109 (1) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) that deal with murder and attempt to murder,” a senior police officer said. “The arrest was in connection with a case drawn up at Tangra police station in February.”
After the arrest, Pranay was taken to his house in Tangra and questioned for some time, sources.
There was a brief reconstruction of the events leading to the death of the three family members, including Pranay’s wife Sudeshna, his brother Prasun’s wife Romi and
Prasun’s 14-year-old daughter Priyambada.
“Following Pranay’s interrogation, search and seizures were made from the house, which remains a crime scene or the place of occurrence. The floors were scanned, and some specific items connected to the case were collected based on his statements,” the officer said.
From the house, Pranay was taken to the Sealdah court, where he was later
produced.
At the Sealdah court, the additional chief judicial magistrate heard both sides and sent Pranay to judicial custody till May 30.
Senior officers said he was shifted to the Presidency correctional home in a police van from the court.
Late in the evening, Pranay underwent a series of medical examinations at the correctional home to ascertain his health condition. Insiders said Pranay was quiet and followed orders.
"While we continue piecing together evidence in this case, we will wait and watch whether Pranay wants to record his confessions before a magistrate," the officer said. "The statements of both brothers have been recorded, and they will be part of the chargesheet that will be submitted before the court."
The Dey brothers jointly ran their family business of manufacturing and exporting leather gloves. They inherited the business from their father.
Their company — Protective Leather Gloves Pvt Ltd — is on 21 Seal Lane. The police said the company had an annual turnover of ₹12.87 crore.
The brothers said the business ran into rough weather and they struggled to pay creditors, sources in Tangra police station said. This led them to hatch a suicide pact to wipe out the entire family.