Darjeeling, June 16: The prime accused in the murder of Prakash Theeng, senior GNLF leader and DGHC councillor from Pulbazar-Bijanbari, Kamal Gazmer surrendered today in Darjeeling.

The main accused turned himself over to the chief judicial magistrate this afternoon. Gazmer has been remanded in judicial custody for the day.

The police are likely to seek his remand in the court tomorrow, which could not be done today as the investigating officer from the Pulbazar police station failed to turn up.

District superintendent of police Sanjay Chander said: “ We indirectly pressured him by attaching his properties, including washing machines, refrigerator and television set, on Friday and the plan worked.”

The accused, who stayed at Rajbari in Darjeeling, worked as a contractor of sorts.

The police have been after Gazmer, alias Goak ko Kailaa, ever since his name figured in the FIR lodged at Pulbazar police station after the murder of the DGHC councillor on May 13.

With the surrender of Gazmer, all six named in the FIR are in police custody.

The other five, accused of murdering the councillor, were arrested from Nayabazar, on the Bengal-Sikkim border, on May 22.

The accused — Bishal Rai, Milan Rai, Man Kumar Rai, Prabhat Kalikotey and Harkay Mangar alias Kiran Thapa — were intercepted by the Sikkim police while they were sneaking into the hill state.

The operation was launched jointly by the West Bengal and Sikkim police.

Prabhat Kalikotey was the only one who did not have his name in the FIR.

He was, however, picked up for questioning as he was accompanying the others and is believed to be a relative of another accused named in the FIR, Kancha Kalikotey.

On May 25, Kancha was arrested from Mangan in North Sikkim by the state police and handed over to the Darjeeling police.

The police believe it was Bishal Rai who shot at Theeng near his residence in Goak. According to them, Gazmer had plotted the conspiracy but was not present during the assassination.

The murder of the GNLF councillor had threatened to disrupt the tourist season with the party calling a protest bandh.

The situation, however, improved with the speedy arrest of the assailants.

Theeng is the third DGHC councillor to the murdered since the formation of the DGHC in 1988.

The first victim was Rudra Kumar Pradhan who was shot dead in March 1999.

This was followed by the murder of C.K. Pradhan in October, last year.

According to the police, the murders of C.K. Pradhan and Prakash Theeng were a fall-out of intra-party rivalry.

While the loyalists of “CK” floated a new party called GNLF(C) after his death, led by wife Sheela Pradhan, Theeng’s wife Sushma chose to remain with the party.

She was recently made the president of the GNLF unit of Pulbazar-Bijanbari area.