Malda: A 40-member team of the National Investigation Agency (NIA) on Saturday fanned out across Malda district to probe into the detention of seven judicial officers at the Kaliachak 2 block development officer’s (BDO’s) office on Wednesday.

The team, which arrived in Malda on Friday, began its day by revisiting the BDO office in the Mothabari Assembly constituency around 10.30am. The judicial officers, including three women, were detained for hours on Wednesday while they were hearing cases related to “under-adjudication” voters as part of the SIR drive.

Although NIA officials refrained from speaking to the media, sources in the BDO office said the investigators reconstructed the sequence of events in detail. “They sought a minute-by-minute timeline of the protest and blockade, enquired about CCTV coverage and collected footage from cameras installed in and around the premises,” a source said.

The team later visited the office of the Malda superintendent of police, where senior officers were questioned about deployment and response mechanisms in the Mothabari and Kaliachak police station areas. The investigators also inspected the district police control room and wireless communication systems to assess coordination during the incident.

In the evening, the NIA officers met district magistrate Rajanvir Singh Kapur at the administrative building. Officials remained tight-lipped about the discussions.

Sources said the NIA was required to submit a preliminary report to the Supreme Court by April 6.

The probe comes amid scrutiny over the handling of the situation. Additional director-general of police (north Bengal) K. Jayaraman had on Friday acknowledged delays in rescuing the detained judicial officers.

Administrative sources said the affected judicial officers had since been relocated to a hotel on K.J. Sanyal Road in Englishbazar, from where they are currently discharging their duties.

Late in the evening, the Malda district administration issued a statement debunking reports that the administration had received a letter on March 23 from the judicial officers mentioning concerns about their security while discharging their duties.

“A thorough verification has been made and it is hereby stated that the office of the District Magistrate, Malda, has not received any such communication from 23.03.2026 till date (04/04/2026)”, the statement read.

While public movement remained largely normal in Mothabari on Saturday, the BDO office was heavily guarded by paramilitary forces and remained inaccessible to civilians. “I went near the BDO office but found it heavily guarded. I was not allowed to take photographs,” said a local school teacher, requesting anonymity.