BLO Arrested: Murdered Lover's Husband, Dismembered Body Over SIR Pretext Lure

A booth-level officer (BLO) and his accomplice were arrested for the alleged gruesome murder of a 30-year-old man in West Bengal's North 24 Parganas district, police announced on Saturday. The victim, Nasir Ali, was lured to a meeting on the pretext of discussing issues related to the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls, only to be killed due to an extramarital affair involving the BLO and the victim's wife.

The accused, identified as BLO Rizwan Hasan Mondal (also reported as Mandal or Montu), who serves for booth number 22 in the Papila area under Baduria, and his accomplice Sagar Gyne (or Gain), were taken into custody on Friday after dismembered body parts of Nasir Ali were recovered from a canal in Baduria. According to preliminary investigations, Mondal had been in an illicit relationship with Ali's wife. On the evening of February 9 (Monday), Mondal contacted the victim, posing as or on behalf of an election official, and asked him to meet at a deserted location to submit documents or discuss SIR-related matters pertaining to voter list revisions. Ali, who went missing that evening, was allegedly murdered during the encounter.

The crime took a particularly brutal turn as the perpetrators reportedly dismembered the body and dumped the pieces in three different spots in the canal to conceal the act. Locals discovered the remains, prompting a swift police response. Following interrogation, Mondal confessed to the killing, while Gyne was charged with assisting in the murder, dismemberment, and disposal of the body. Both were produced before the Basirhat Sub-Divisional Court and remanded to five days of police custody for further questioning.

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This shocking incident has stunned the local community in Baduria, where Mondal held a position of public trust as a BLO responsible for electoral roll verification under the Election Commission's SIR process. Authorities have emphasized that the motive stemmed from personal rivalry over the affair rather than any official duty, though the misuse of the SIR pretext to lure the victim has raised concerns about potential vulnerabilities in field-level election work. Police continue to probe for additional accomplices or evidence, with the case registered under relevant sections for murder and related offenses.

The arrest highlights broader issues of personal misconduct intersecting with public roles, even as West Bengal's electoral machinery grapples with the demands of the SIR exercise. Community members have expressed outrage over the betrayal of trust, and the case is expected to draw scrutiny on oversight of BLOs amid heightened electoral activities.

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