Krishnagar, July 17: A director of a fund-raising company in Nadia’s Karimpur was found dead at the house of one of his business partners this morning.

The body of Purna Chandra Saha, who headed Greenline, was found with a towel around his neck.

His family has accused the 10 business partners with whom he had a meeting yesterday of murdering him.

Following a police complaint, three of the partners have been arrested while the others are absconding. Police have also recovered a piece of paper from near the body which they said could be a suicide note.

An investigating officer of Hogolberia police station, where the complaint of murder was lodged by Saha’s wife Pinki, said: “The exact cause of death is not yet clear. We have sent the body for post-mortem. There are strangulation marks on the neck. But the three persons we have arrested said Saha hanged himself last night.”

Saha’s family members said he set up Greenline in 2010 along with the 10 business partners.

“The company raised funds from local people. But it could not pay them back after maturity of their schemes because of poor returns,” said Amit, Saha’s nephew.

“As a result, the partners, agents and depositors had been pressuring him for the past few months to return their money,” he added.

According to Amit, the company invested in fisheries, land schemes and construction projects.

Saha’s wife Pinki said: “It is clear that they (the business partners) have killed my husband by strangulating him. They are now trying to make it look like suicide.”