A 25-year-old resident of Jaigaon, the town in Alipurduar district that sits on the India-Bhutan border, was found dead in a hotel room in his hometown on Tuesday afternoon.
His family alleged murder.
Police have arrested two persons, including a homemaker, in this connection.
Sources said that deceased Ajizul Rehman of Jharnabusty in Jaigaon was a betel nut trader.
As the news of the death spread, his relatives and some residents resorted to protests. They staged a blockade at MG Road, the principal thoroughfare of the town, for half an hour, alleging that Rehman had been murdered and the culprits should be punished.
The police managed to disperse them.
Sources said that on Monday night, Ajizul booked the room and checked into the hotel. He called his mother and said that on Tuesday morning, he would return home.
“As he did not return, we went to the hotel in search of him. The hotel employees said he is in his room. As we looked through the window, we found him seated on the bed with a rope tied around his neck,” said a relative of the deceased youth.
Cops went to the hotel and recovered the body.
Mahiruddin Islam, Rehman’s father, said his son had an affair with the woman who eventually married someone else.
“But she would often threaten my son. We have no idea why he booked a hotel in our hometown. We suspect he was murdered and the woman is involved,” he said.
On Tuesday, the bereaved father filed a complaint with the police.
Cops apprehended hotel manager Uday Narayan Rai and the woman with whom Rehman reportedly had an affair before she was married.
Both Rai and the woman reside in the same locality. The police are also checking their cell phones, sources said.
On Wednesday, the duo were produced in a local court in Alipurduar. The court heard the case and sent him in judicial custody for a week.
The police seized the cellphones of Rehman and the woman.
“We have arrested two persons in connection with the case. Probe is on,” said P.T. Bhutia, Jaigaon police station inspector-in-charge.