Written by Tanusree BoseKolkata | October 5, 2025 04:45 AM IST 3 min readOfficers from Baranagar police station sealed the scene and began checking CCTV footage from inside the shop and neighbouring lanesPANIC GRIPPED Sambhunath Das Lane in Kolkata’s Baranagar on Friday afternoon after shopkeepers found the body of Sankar Jana, 60, owner of Saraswati Chain and Ornament, lying on the floor of his jewellery store with his legs bound by a rope, police said on Saturday.According to police, Jana was taken to a nearby hospital but was declared brought dead. The body was later taken to Baranagar State General Hospital for a post-mortem examination.Police said they have found blunt force trauma in the back of the head and also “signs of struggle.”Officers from Baranagar police station sealed the scene and began checking CCTV footage from inside the shop and neighbouring lanes. “An investigation is on. We are not only looking at the CCTV footage from inside the shop but also the CCTV footage from the lane and the other shops in the area to identify the culprits,” a senior officer involved with the probe said.Police sources said there were five culprits, one of whom was standing outside the shop and the remaining four had entered the shop posing as customers. All the men had their faces covered with masks at the time.According to investigators, the incident occurred between 3 pm and 3:30 pm. Jana’s son, who was in Delhi, became suspicious when he saw the shop’s CCTV screens had gone black; he called his father and, receiving no response, alerted neighbouring shopkeepers. Those neighbours then entered the jewellery shop and found Jana in a pool of blood before calling the police.“From initial inquiries and the footage we have, the assailants posed as customers to gain entry,” said Murlidhar Sharma, Commissioner of Police, Barrackpore Commissionerate, who visited the crime scene. “One person first came in and, as the victim attended to him, two or three others entered and assaulted him before tying him up. After looting, they fled. The detective department and forensic teams are examining the CCTV and other evidence; we expect to identify the culprits soon.”Story continues below this adPolice said the assailants appear to have carried out prior reconnaissance of the area and the shop and may have chosen the time because many neighbouring businesses were closed after the Durga Puja festivities, leaving narrow lanes unusually empty. The value of jewellery and cash taken has not yet been determined.The killing has left local traders shaken. “We are terrified after this incident, where is our security? How can we do business like this when people are murdered in broad daylight?” a shopkeeper in the lane told mediapersons.Authorities appealed to anyone with dashcam or mobile footage from the area between 2:30 pm and 4 pm, or anyone who noticed suspicious persons in the locality, to come forward and share it with police.Stay updated with the latest - Click here to follow us on Instagram© The Indian Express Pvt LtdTags:Kolkata PoliceWest Bengal