Family killer held for dacoity

Sajal Barui, after his release from jail in August 2010

Sajal Barui, who had killed his father, stepmother and stepbrother and was released on conditional bail, was arrested on Monday afternoon on the charge of dacoity.

A team from the detective department picked up the 32-year-old from the Esplanade crossing while he was riding a two-wheeler with a laptop slung across his shoulder in a bag, said the joint police commissioner, crime, Damayanti Sen.

Sajal had been sentenced to life imprisonment for the 1993 triple murders at the family’s Dum Dum flat but was released on bail in August 2010 on condition that he would reform himself.

“The youth has violated the condition. The police can move court seeking cancellation of the bail. If the plea is granted, Sajal will be back behind bars for the rest of his life,” said a criminal lawyer at the high court.

Police sources said Sajal had been trying to build a career as a painter since his release from jail last year.

“That he has gone back to the world of crime we came to know while probing a complaint of dacoity lodged by Subir Mitra, who owns a guest house at Jodhpur Park,” said an officer of the detective department.

Mitra said in his complaint that four armed youths had looted Rs 1.3 lakh and eight cellphones and other valuables from the guest house on the night of June 3.

The cops picked up two youths — Saurav Bose and Partha Saha — for the dacoity. “Both admitted that they were part of the gang led by Bikash Barui, whom Saurav had first met at Alipore jail in 2006. Saurav was lodged in the jail after his arrest on the charge of snatching,” said an officer.

On the basis of the duo’s descriptions, the sleuths got a portrait of Bikash done.

“The man in the portrait looked similar to Sajal. We immediately brought Sajal’s photographs from our archive and showed it to Saurav and Partha. They identified him as Bikash,” said an officer.

The sleuths said that after the dacoity Sajal fled to Ahmedabad, from where he threatened Mitra to withdraw the complaint.

“Once we became sure about Sajal’s role in the crime, we started following his movements. His cellphone was under the scanner and we kept an eye on the rented house in Baguiati where Sajal was living with his wife,” the officer said.

Sajal had fled police custody from Calcutta Medical College and Hospital, where he was taken for treatment, while he was serving the life-term in 2001.

Two years later, a youth named Sheikh Raju, who was arrested in Midnapore in connection with a robbery, turned out to be Sajal Barui.

“Sajal was lodged in the Midnapore jail, where a jailor who had earlier seen him at Dum Dum jail recognised him,” said an officer.