Feb. 21: Partho De's sprawling family house at 3 Robinson Street apparently got sold last year, but the transaction has yet to be recorded in the books of the Calcutta Municipal Corporation and the office of the registrar of assurances.

Several residents of this central neighbourhood of high-priced properties said the transaction took place in 2016 but the identity of the buyer has not been officially revealed. The buzz is that Pradip Kundalia, the realtor charged with culpable homicide for a 1989 building collapse, could be the new owner of 3 Robinson Street.

This is the house where police had found the burnt body of Partho's father along with the skeleton of his sister wrapped in a blanket and the remains of two pet Labradors. Partho had been living with his sister's corpse and the dead pets for months.

When Metro contacted Kundalia today, the realtor said he was in a meeting and would call back. He did not. Text messages to his mobile phone seeking a confirmation were not answered.

A G+4 building stands at 3 Robinson Street, a walled area of around 20 cottahs. In the records of the municipal corporation, the property in ward 63 belongs to the estate of Gadadhar De, grandfather of Partho. Shanti De is currently the trustee of the estate.

"Tenants still live there. The second floor, where Partha used to live, is under lock and key," said an officer at Shakespeare Sarani police station.

The police officer said he was not aware of any financial deal between Partho and the developer.

"Nowadays the gate remains locked unless someone is visiting the house," said a tea vendor whose stall is adjacent to the property.

Jitendra Khaitan, chairman and managing director of Pioneer Property Management, pegged the market value of the land at Rs 2 crore a cottah. "Since the road is narrow, the developable area would be less than that of Loudon Street and Rawdon Street. Had it been on one of those two roads, the value of land could have been Rs 2.25-2.5 crore a cottah," Khaitan, whose Rawdon Street office overlooks the De household, said.

Civic officials said the quarterly tax on the property was Rs 17,933. Dues are pending since the third quarter of 2006-07, totalling Rs 13 lakh.