Four men were arrested on Thursday in connection with the murder of Trinamul Congress leader Saifuddin Laskar near Joynagar in South 24-Parganas on Monday.

The arrested were Anisur Rahaman Laskar, one of the suspected masterminds, his accomplice Kamaluddin Dhali and two others whose identities were not revealed by police.

Sources said a special team of Baruipur police district had nabbed Anisur from Nadia’s Ranaghat after tracking his mobile phone.

Despite the arrests, the sleuths remain clueless about the exact motive behind the murder, police sources said. The quartet will be produced in the additional chief judicial magistrate’s court in Baruipur on Friday.

Superintendent of police, Baruipur police
district, Palash Chandra Dhali, told reporters: “We arrested the suspected mastermind Anisur Rahaman Laskar and three others today when they were trying to flee to Murshidabad. We are hopeful that the motive behind the murder will become clear now.”

The name of Anisur, who is known to be a CPM activist in Dalaukhaki-Laskarpara village, had figured in the complaint lodged by the victim’s family.

The police have ascertained the identity of the “Baro Bhai” (elder brother) about whom arrested “informer” Shaharul Sheikh had told the investigators.

Police sources said “Baro Bhai”, whose actual name was apparently unknown to Shaharul, was identified as Alauddin Sanpui, a resident of Tekpanja village in Joynagar’s Mandirbazar.

The sleuths said Alauddin, who is also known to be a CPM worker, had asked Anisur to eliminate Saifuddin.

“But the reason behind the murder is not yet clear,” an officer said.

The police got a lead about the suspected involvement of Anisur after interrogating Shaharul, who claimed to have been appointed by the conspirators as an “informer” to track Saifuddin’s movement.

Soon after the murder, Anisur went absconding after a mob went on the rampage at Dalauikhaki-Laskarpara village.

“We began tracking Anisur’s mobile phone and first spotted him in Basanti. Later, he was tracked down to Nadia’s Haringhata and Ranaghat. Anisur had hired a vehicle and was trying to
flee to Murshidad and from there to Bangladesh. But acting on intelligence input, we managed to nab him and the three others with the help of Ranaghat police. They have been brought to Joynagar for interrogation,” a police officer said.

The investigators claimed that four persons — Shaharul, Musibur Rahaman, Zakir Laskar and Sahabuddin Laskar, who was lynched — were present on two motorcycles during the murder.

“It appears these four persons executed the murder on mastermind Anisur’s direction. But the motive behind the murder is not clear so far. We are interrogating the
suspected persons and the motive will be unravelled soon,” a senior police officer said.