The special investigation team probing the Saturday murder of hotelier Rajesh a.k.a. Raju Jha has found that the blue car used by the gunmen was registered with the Delhi NCR transport authority.

The owner of the car, in whose name it was registered in 2017, has also been traced to New Delhi.

"We have found the number plate of the car was fake. A forensic team and automobile experts examined the car and discovered it was registered with the Delhi NCR transport authority. The owner lives in the capital. We will send a police team there soon," said a senior police officer in East Burdwan.

The assailants left the blue Maruti Baleno at Borshul near Palsit toll plaza on NH2 after the murder. Police recovered five fake number plates from the car, as well as two 7mm pistols, 12 rounds of live cartridges and two empty liquor bottles.

Jha, who allegedly had links with coal smuggling and was to be questioned by the ED in Delhi on Monday, was shot dead in full view of people in the busy Shaktigarh sweets and refreshment hub two days before the scheduled interrogation.

However, SIT officers said the angle of gang rivalry was becoming stronger.

"Jha after a gap of six years had resumed his interest in illegal coal trade, which irked his rivals," said an officer.

Police said since last November Jha started collecting money forcibly from traders who bought coal from ECL through auctions in Pandaveswar, Andal, Raniganj, Jamuria and Laodoha.

Police said he set up syndicates headed by his aides Bratin Mukherjee and Joydeb Khan. Mukherjee was with Jha in the SUV along with arrested Trinamul strongman Anubrata Mondal's aide, Abdul Latif, on the day of the murder.

"His recent proximity to heavyweights from the BJP and Trinamul made him resume involvement in the illegal trade," said an officer.

Trinamul Pandaveswar MLA Narendranath Chakraborty said Jha was "never close" to his party.

BJP MLA from Durgapur West Lakshman Ghorui said Jha joined their party before the 2021 polls, but became inactive soon.