A realtor and former Murshidabad general secretary of the Trinamul Congress, Sattyen Chowdhury, was murdered on Sunday by three unidentified persons here on Sunday afternoon.

Chowdhury, who was in his early sixties, was sitting on a chair in an open space in front of his house at Chaltiya near Behrampore around 2.15pm when three persons on a motorcycle neared him and fired four shots, hitting him in the head, throat, chest, and abdomen.

Rushed to the Murshidabad Medical College and Hospital, Chowdhury was declared dead.

“We are yet to identify the criminals. Police are actively investigating and checking CCTV footage from a nearby hospital. We are exploring all possible angles to find the motive behind the murder,” said additional district police chief S.A. Khan.

“The assailants had covered their faces with masks and mufflers, which is why it is more difficult for us to identify them. As the motive of the murder is still unclear, we are trying to explore both political and business-related angles,” an investigating officer said.

Sources in the party said Chowdhury, once an active member of Trinamul, distanced himself from the party after trying in vain to secure a Trinamul ticket to the 2021 Assembly elections from Behrampore.

Since then, he focused more on his real estate business.

“Until 2021, Sattyen Chowdhury was a member of the district committee. Currently, he is not associated with our party in any way. However, the way he was murdered in broad daylight can't be accepted. We hope the police will catch the culprits of the heinous crime," said Trinamul district unit chief Apurba Sarkar.

Chowdhury started his political career with the Congress and was once deemed close to Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury. He had contested elections on a Congress ticket, but after joining Trinamul, had a strained relationship with the Behrampore MP, sources said.

Reacting to the murder, the Congress MP said: “He was known to me.... Arrest the culprits and stop this murder and bloodshed."