Bengal Poll Officer Evading Arrest In Murder Case Caught For Drink Driving

A Block Development Officer (BDO), who was on the run over his alleged involvement in a murder case, has been arrested after he was caught driving drunk in Kolkata on Monday.

Prashant Barman, a BDO in Jalpaiguri's Rajganj, was wanted for his alleged involvement in a businessman's murder in 2025. In January this year, he was removed from his post after the Supreme Court directed him to surrender in connection with the kidnapping and murder of a 45-year-old gold trader, Swapan Kamaliya.

On Monday evening, he struck a pedestrian with his Mahindra Thar in the Eco Park police station area of New Town.

A video purportedly showed him arguing with some men on the road after the accident. On-duty police personnel then rescued the injured biker and sent him to hospital.

Video: Bengal Poll Officer Wanted In Murder Case Caught Driving Drunk pic.twitter.com/jMoLP1D7T6

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During verification, the car driver was identified as Prashant Barman and subsequently arrested.

Police said the Bidhannagar Detective Department, which is probing the murder of the businessman in New Town, is expected to seek his custody.

Though Barman's name does not appear among the accused in the chargesheet, the document reportedly mentions him multiple times as an "absconding" accused.