Guest houses to complexes: Kolkata's accommodation under scrutiny after arrest of Chandan Mishra's accused killers

Indian Express

4 days ago

The recent arrest of five individuals — including a woman — in connection with the murder of Patna-based gangster Chandan Mishra has cast a spotlight on the security protocol and verification processes of rental accommodations in and around Kolkata.
The incident has not only led to a case being filed against a guest house in Anandapur but has also brought renewed attention to the Shukhobrishti housing complex in New Town, which previously faced a case in 2021.
On Saturday night, a large police team raided a guest house in Madurdaha, Anandapur, which is a short distance from the Anandapur police station, and arrested the accused in the case.
'There was definitely a violation regarding document verification on the part of the guest house. The documents of three of them were not verified,' said a senior STF official. A case has been filed against the guest house under Section 223(B) of the BNS for disobeying government directives.
This contradicts what the guest house owner told mediapersons: that all guests had shown valid identity documents before being allotted rooms.
Beyond the guest house, the arrests have once again drawn attention to Shukhobrishti, a massive 150-acre housing project in New Town with more than 20,000 apartments and nearly 350 towers, often referred to as a township in itself. Police had questioned five residents from two separate flats in Shukhobrishti on July 19 in connection with the July 17 Patna murder.
This is the second time the complex has come under the scanner. On June 9, 2021, two wanted Punjab gangsters — Jaipal Bhullar and Jaspreet Singh alias Jassi Kharar — were gunned down in a police shootout inside Flat 201 of Block 153 during a raid.
Despite assurances from Bidhannagar Police and the introduction of a police clearance certificate system for tenants, enforcement remains inconsistent. Local police sources say criminals continue to 'exploit loopholes' in the rental system, particularly subletting.
'It's a huge complex with so many people staying inside. The real problem is that most of the occupants aren't owners — they are tenants, often from Bihar and UP,' said a senior officer from the West Bengal Special Task Force. 'You can check the background of the tenant who signs the lease, but not necessarily of the friends and acquaintances who come and stay. For instance, Ehsan, who was staying in Shukhobrishti, had no criminal background. But he was contacted by Sahil from Patna to receive Tausheef (the main accused in the murder of Chandan Misra) and others.'
The size of the complex, along with absent landlords and weak surveillance, further complicates monitoring. While a 'massive drive' was conducted four years ago to verify tenants, authorities admit that '100 percent verification is not possible' and say that residents and landlords must also take more responsibility.
Recently, the Bidhannagar Police had issued show-cause notices to 94 landlords for renting properties without conducting required background checks on tenants.
Sweety Kumari reports from West Bengal for The Indian Express. She is a journalist with over a decade of experience in the media industry. Covers Crime, Defence, Health , Politics etc and writes on trending topics.
With a keen eye for investigative and human-interest stories. She has honed her craft across diverse beats including aviation, health, incidents etc. Sweety delivers impactful journalism that informs and engages audiences.
Sweety Kumari is a graduate of Calcutta University with an Honors degree in Journalism from Jaipuria College and a PG in Mass Communication from Jadavpur University. Originally from Bihar, she is brought up in Kolkata and completed her education from Kendriya Vidyalaya SaltLake. Multilingual, Sweety is fluent in English, Hindi, Bengali, and Maithili. She started her career as an Entertainment and lifestyle journalist with a newsportal in Kolkata. She is working with The Indian Express for 8 years now. ... Read More