A 35-year-old man was hacked to death by unidentified persons in a tea garden in the Madarihat-Birpara block of Alipurduar district on Thursday morning.

Senior police officers have visited the spot and are in search of the attackers who escaped after the crime. A police picket has been raised in the area.

According to police sources, Boke Bhai Lama, the victim, was a resident of Lankapara tea estate. He was associated with the transportation of dolomite and other minor minerals from different locations.

When Lama came out of his house in the garden around 11am, five men intercepted him. They were carrying sharp weapons and hacked him several times. When the businessman collapsed, the attackers fled.

Sunity Tamang, his wife, raised an alert and soon, tea workers and their families arrived.

The victim was the brother-in-law of Sanjay Lama, the Trinamul Congress president of Madarihat-Birpara block. “We have no idea why he was attacked. The police should arrest all the accused,” said Sanjay.

The Lankapara plantation has been closed for years.

Kuntal Banerjee, the additional superintendent of police of Jaigaon, said: “We suspect the deceased man had a business-related dispute with some others. His wife has filed a complaint with us and named all the five persons. We are in search of them.”

Youth murdered

Yarul Sheikh, 20, a resident of Uttar Lakkhipur village under Englishbazar police station of Malda, was stabbed to death by a group of youths on Wednesday.

Sources said Sheikh had been to a market at Nagrai with some friends to attend a fair that was organised on the occasion of IdulZoha. At the fair, he had an altercation with some youths, one of whom took out a dagger and attacked him. Sheikh died on the way to Malda Medical College and Hospital.

Police said all the five accused youths had been identified and searches were on to round them up.

Additional reporting by Soumya De Sarkar