The special investigating team (SIT) of Purulia police arrested three persons from West Burdwan and Jharkhand in connection with the murder of a petrol pump manager and his son within a week of the gruesome crime.

The police said Mandil Bibhlor and his brother Monoy Bed from Kulti and Barabani, respectively, in West Burdwan, and Dinesh Pashi from Bokaro in Jharkhand had been arrested in connection with the murder.

“All three have reputations as snake charmers in their localities but their main livelihood is snatching. Their modus operandi is to rob people on highways,” said a police officer in Purulia.

Madan Pandey, 75, and his son Kanhaia Pandey, 35, were killed on their way back home from work at a spot near Kanali village in Mufassil police station limits on July 9.

Police said the duo were murdered by the three-member gang and mobile phones of the victims had been recovered from them.

“The criminals were waiting at the deserted place for their targets. Initially, they attacked one bank employee on his way back home after work but he somehow escaped,” said S. Selvamurugan, superintendent of Purulia police.

Later, Madan Pandey and his son were passing through a village road in the area around 8.30pm and were attacked. “As the assailants tried to resist and shouted for help, they were beaten to death with bamboo sticks. They looted cash and the mobile phones from them. Their motorcycle was taken away,” said a police officer.

The police said that during investigations, they collected CCTV footage from the toll plaza on NH32 connecting Purulia and Bokaro. “We spotted the trio on two motorbikes roaming suspiciously. Then we also traced the tower location of the mobile phones snatched from the duo and found it near Asansol,” said an investigating officer.

Acting on a tip-off, a police team from Purulia went to Asansol and conducted raids with the help of local police. Another team had gone to Bokaro. The three were arrested on Friday. Police recovered one of the stolen mobile phones but another mobile phone and the motorbike are yet to be recovered.

Police said the cash they looted was distributed or spent.

Police also interrogated bank employee Dipen Mahato, who was attacked but managed to escape, and recorded his statement.

The trio were produced before the court in Purulia which sent them in 14 days' judicial remand.

"We will interrogate them to recover the motorbike and another mobile phone," said Selvamurugan.

CBI ECL

Subhash Mukherjee, a retired general manager of ECL, was arrested by the CBI in connection with the coal smuggling case, and was produced before the special court of CBI in Asansol. He was remanded to three days custody of the central investigating agency on Saturday. He will be produced again on July 18 along with the seven present and past ECL employees arrested earlier.