A driver with the Japanese consulate in the city died of a bullet wound in the head, rather than an accident that was previously thought. This happened a few metres off Mainland China on Gurusaday Dutta Road on Sunday night.
The post-mortem examination on Monday afternoon revealed a bullet lodged in the back of 43-year-old Shamsuddin Ahmed’s head. A murder case has been filed following the autopsy report.
Footage from CCTVs installed in nearby buildings show three youths running from the spot around the time people heard a sound that resembled a gunshot but mistaken for a tyre burst, police said.
The incident occurred when Ahmed was walking to his 12 Ahiri Pukur Road home after parking the car hired by the consulate at a garage on Ballygunge Park Road. Minutes ago, he had received a call from wife Farida.
“When I called him at 11.40pm, he told me to keep the food warm as he could reach home in a moment,” she said.
A patrol from Ballygunge police station spotted the blood-splattered body around 12.20am at a spot opposite the staff quarters of the Garrision Engineer (project), barely 500metres from Ahmed’s home. He was declared dead on arrival at SSKM Hospital.
“We thought it’s a road accident because people in the area said they heard a loud bang that sounded like a tyre burst,” an officer said.
All these while Farida had been getting anxious because “he did not return home even an hour after I called him”. “I tried his number and someone else took the call. He informed me about the accident. We were told to rush to SSKM,” she added.
Though a case of murder was lodged, the police were clueless about the motive. Robbery has been almost ruled out because Ahmed’s cell phone and wallet were found on him.
“The footage from Kusum Apartment, around 10metres from the spot, shows that at 11.53.36pm, the building’s guards are scrambling towards the gate. Ten seconds later, three youth are seen running past the building,” an officer said.
Footage from an adjacent building shows the trio vanishing into a narrow lane.
They were casually clothed in T-shirts, denim and shorts.
