Bidhannagar police said a man who worked as a dog trainer at Rajgunj BDO Prasanta Barman's home has claimed that he stole jewellery from the officer's house and handed the pieces to the jeweller in Salt Lake's Duttabad, who was found dead in New Town a few days ago.

Swapan Kamilla, owner of a jewellery workshop in Salt Lake’s Duttabad, was found dead in New Town amid allegations of kidnapping and murder by the BDO.

Ashoke Kar, the dog trainer, has reportedly told the police that he had stolen ornaments from Barman’s house around four months ago and that the BDO had beaten up Kamilla and him inside a building in New Town on October 28.

BDO Barman refuted all allegations against him, claiming it was a conspiracy to malign him.

“All allegations against me are false. This is a deep-rooted conspiracy to malign me,” Barman said.

Kar alleged that he and Kamilla were beaten up before he was released in the evening of October 28.

“BDO Sir started looking for the stolen jewellery after Ganesh Puja. I admitted that I had stolen them. He asked me where the jewellery was. I told him that I had given them to Kamilla. Kamilla had not paid me and had kept the jewellery for quality check,” Kar told reporters on Thursday.

He added that on October 28, he was called to the New Town building, where Kamilla was also brought.

“The BDO and some men whipped me with a belt and flogged me with a bamboo stick. I was allowed to go around 6pm. Kamilla was also beaten up. But I don’t know what happened after I left,” Kar said.

BDO Barman said he was not present in Calcutta on that date.

“I have communicated with the police over the phone. If I am called, I will cooperate. I was in the district (Jalpaiguri) those days,” the Rajganj BDO said.

Allegations have surfaced against Barman that he and his men had allegedly kidnapped Kamilla from his jewellery unit at Duttabad in Salt Lake on October 28 and taken him to the building at New Town.

A day later, Kamilla’s body was found in a deserted area in New Town. His family has complained of kidnapping, murder, criminal conspiracy and destruction of evidence, naming Barman in the complaint.

The police have also found two eyewitnesses who had seen Kamilla being taken to an under-construction building in New Town after being allegedly kidnapped by Barman.

One of them is Gobindo Bag, the owner of the space where Kamilla ran his workshop. He said that Kamilla and he were forced into two cars on October 28.

“They took me to a place where I saw Kamilla being beaten up. Then they released me,” Bag said.