6-month plot, 3 states, iCloud use: CBI joins dots on Adhikari aide killing

In May 2026, Suvendu Adhikari, the then-West Bengal Chief Minister, had taken charge, and Chandranath Rath, his personal assistant, was shot inside his car in Madhyamgram, Kolkata, around 10 pm. His associate, Buddhadeb Bera, was also injured in the attack. The killing was the culmination of a six-month conspiracy uncovered by the CBI using digital evidence, including a photo on iCloud, CCTV footage, road toll records, and multiple phones.

The CBI filed a chargesheet before the Additional Chief Judicial Magistrate’s court in Barasat on August 7, naming 12 people, of whom all were arrested except Krishna Kumar Singh from Bihar. Sagar Sonkar, Rath's 29-year-old assistant, was the alleged mastermind behind the plot. The CBI claims that he saw himself as equal to Rath and believed that eliminating him was the only way to get closer to Adhikari.

The probe found that Sagar allegedly procured phones and SIM cards in the names of others and brought in Vikash Mishra, a school friend, who was in constant touch with him from January 2026. Further connections were made through calls between Sagar, Mishra, and their acquaintance Sanjay Rai, who allegedly came to Dhanbad to arrange the shooters.

After a series of meetings and reconnaissance trips, the accused traveled from Dhanbad to Kolkata and carried out the murder on May 6.