Patna hospital murder: Key accused changed appearance, tried to hoodwink cops

Kolkata, July 23 (IANS) Tauseef Raja alias Badshah, the prime accused in Patna gangster Chandan Mishra's murder case, had attempted to alter his appearance by shaving his head and beard to deceive police and evade arrest.

A senior Kolkata Police officer said that Tauseef had used a service app to call a barber to the Anandapur guest house in the southern outskirts of Kolkata, from where he was arrested.

“There, the barber got his head, beard, and moustache shaved. The aim was to hoodwink the police. Even his cousin, Nishu, who was arrested from the same guest house, also had his hair trimmed and beard shaven to avoid being identified and arrested,” the city police official said.

However, the officer added, their makeover attempts did not work out, and finally, both of them, along with their two other associates, were arrested.

The city cops said that Tauseef and Nishu adopted yet another tactic to hoodwink the police. Instead of parking their vehicle within the guest house premises, they parked the same near a high-rise building, which is almost 100 meters away from the guest house.

“This was done to deliberately confuse the cops and divert their attention from the guest house,” the city police official said. He admitted that initially, after nabbing them, the sleuths were slightly confused following their makeover. "However, after questioning him, the police were convinced that they had nabbed the right persons," said the city police official.

The police have also learned during the investigation that Tauseef and Nishu had come to Kolkata several times before. "They had stayed here for a few days and had several acquaintances. The police are investigating these acquaintances who are residents of different pockets like Tiljala," said the city cop.

Patna gangster Chandan Mishra was shot dead by five armed assailants inside the ICU of a private hospital in Patna on July 17. Following a joint operation by the Bihar Police and the Special Task Force of West Bengal Police, four men were arrested from a guest house in the Anandapur area of Kolkata on July 19.

The arrested were identified as the prime accused Tauseef, his cousin Nishu, his caretaker Bhim Kumar, and male nurse Harsh Kumar. The four arrested were produced in an Alipore court on July 20. The court allowed the Bihar Police a 48-hour transit remand.

--IANS

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