Fight with partner over social media use may have led to techie’s murder near Kolkata: Cops

Investigators probing the alleged murder of a 25-year-old IT executive on the outskirts of Kolkata last week suspect an argument with his partner over his social media activities may have led to the killing.

The victim, Sarthak Sarkar, was found murdered at his partner’s flat in Narendrapur on November 7. His partner, Sanchalika Basu – a 24-year-old law student – and her mother, Moumita Basu, have been arrested.

Speaking to reporters on Tuesday, Baruipur additional superintendent of police (ASP) Sowmojit Barua said an interrogation of the two accused suggested an argument over the deceased’s social media use may have led to the murder.

"Sanchalika Basu, the probe indicated, was over possessive about the victim. The two would often quarrel regularly over whom he was following on social media and the comments he was making. It is suspected that she stabbed him with a pair of scissors during a heated exchange," Barua said.

According to the police, Sarkar worked for an IT company in Salt Lake and lived with his partner in her flat. Moumita Basu was present in the flat when the crime took place.

The police said other residents of the building reported hearing the occupants of the flat arguing on the day of the murder. They later found Sarkar lying on a bed with multiple wounds, including on the shoulder. He was rushed to a local hospital where doctors declared him dead on arrival.

On Tuesday, the police took the mother-daughter duo to their rented flat and reconstructed the crime scene. "Some scratch marks were found on Sanchalika Basu's neck, indicating a struggle," a police officer said, requesting anonymity.

"The accused were taken to the flat to reconstruct the sequence of events. The forensic team also collected samples from the premises, which will be examined as part of the investigation," an officer of Baruipur Police District was quoted as saying by PTI.

Sarkar's family lives in Barasat in North 24 Parganas district. His family told the media that his phone was unreachable for several hours on November 7. They claimed that Sanchalika informed Sarthak's sister over the phone that he was wounded.