Brothers Sagar Sonkar and Sahib Sonkar were taken into custody after investigators identified them as suspected conspirators in the killing. A special CBI court in Kolkata remanded the pair to seven days of agency custody on Friday, allowing investigators to question them about the planning, financing and political links behind the attack.
Rath was shot dead near his home in Madhyamgram, North 24 Parganas district, on May 6, two days after the results of the West Bengal Assembly election were declared. His vehicle was intercepted at Doharia on Jessore Road at about 10.30 pm while he was returning from Kolkata.
Investigators believe the killing was a carefully organised contract operation involving shooters, intermediaries and people familiar with Rath’s movements. The latest arrests have shifted the focus towards whether individuals working within Rath’s own political network helped facilitate the attack.
The Sonkar brothers had worked with Rath and were familiar with his official responsibilities, travel arrangements and political contacts. Investigators suspect that this access enabled them to provide information needed to track him and plan the assault.
Sagar Sonkar is alleged to have hired the gunmen and arranged payments for the contract. The conspiracy is believed to have been under preparation since December 2025, several months before the Assembly election and Rath’s killing.
The agency is examining digital records, telephone calls and financial transactions linked to the brothers. Investigators have also found evidence suggesting that Sagar remained in contact with the office of a rival political party while working with Rath.
No political party or functionary has been formally named as an accused in connection with those communications. Investigators are seeking to establish whether the alleged contacts were connected to the murder, represented routine political interaction or involved instructions and financial support.
Sagar had reportedly worked with a legislator belonging to a rival party before joining the BJP in 2020. Both brothers subsequently became associated with Rath’s team and participated in political activities connected with Adhikari’s organisation.
The CBI is expected to confront the accused with call records and statements collected from others already arrested. Investigators will also examine whether the brothers identified Rath as a target independently or acted at the direction of another person.
The shooting involved a vehicle bearing a false registration number and motorcycle-borne attackers. Rath’s sport utility vehicle was forced to slow down near his residence before the assailants fired through the windscreen and at close range.
Rath suffered multiple gunshot wounds and was declared dead after being taken to hospital. People travelling with him were also injured during the attack. The assailants abandoned one of the vehicles used in the operation and escaped on motorcycles.
Evidence gathered from the scene indicated that the attackers had surveyed the area for several days. The use of sophisticated firearms, coordinated movements and escape vehicles led investigators to treat the case as an organised assassination rather than an impulsive act of violence.
West Bengal Police initially formed a special investigation team and arrested three suspects from Uttar Pradesh. The case was transferred to the CBI on May 12 as political tensions intensified and questions arose over the wider conspiracy.
The central agency subsequently arrested alleged shooter Rajkumar Singh near Muzaffarnagar and detained other suspects from Lucknow and Ballia. Six suspected gunmen and three alleged intermediaries have been arrested during the investigation.
Investigators earlier estimated that the contract to kill Rath may have been worth about ₹1.5 crore. They suspect that money moved through several intermediaries to conceal the identity of those who financed the operation.
Rath was considered one of Adhikari’s closest aides and handled office coordination, political planning and election-related assignments. A former air force serviceman, he began working with Adhikari after leaving military service and became an influential figure within the chief minister’s political establishment.
(IPA Service)
