A youth, who had been named as an accused in a murder last year, was killed near his home at Kulpi in South 24-Parganas on Tuesday morning allegedly by his co-accused, less than a day before he was scheduled to appear in court as an approver and give testimony.

Police and local sources said Abdul Guffur Purkait, 20, a resident of Rajramghat village, was hacked to death by three youths, one of who was out on bail along with co-accused Rakib Sardar and Raju Mollah. All were scheduled to appear before the additional chief judicial magistrate’s court in Kakdwip on Wednesday.

Family members claimed that Guffur had decided to make a submission before the court confessing to the crime and had apparently earned the wrath of the co-accused. However, Sunderbans police authorities have claimed that no such agreement was reached with the deceased.

According to local sources, Khokon Mollah, one of the victim’s distant relatives, was murdered in the area last year, in which connection Guffur had reportedly been asked to give testimony as an accused.

On Tuesday, Kulpi police began a probe based on a complaint filed by his father.

"This was a planned murder because he had agreed to become an approver," said Saiful Purkait, the deceased's father.

Sunderbans superintendent of police, Bhaskar Mukherjee, however, claimed local police had no knowledge of Guffur's enlistment as an approver.