Diamond businessman’s body found inside his looted shop

Kolkata: A middle-aged jewellery businessman was found murdered while valuable gems were stolen from his shop under mysterious circumstances at Zakaria Street in Central Kolkata on Monday night. Mohammed Salim, the victim in his mid-fifties, was lying with his mouth gagged with a tape and hands tied in the chamber of his shop at Johuri Bazar in Jorasanko. 

A piece of cloth was tied around his neck suggesting that it was used to strangulate him to death. The body was sent for post-mortem. A set of gems, including three pieces of diamonds and Salim’s mobile phone, were found stolen. Like other days, Salim’s car driver Mohammed Ilyas had come to his shop at around 8.30 pm on Monday to take him to home at Rajabazar after the day’s business. 

When Ilyas called him on his cellphone, Salim asked him to wait, according to sources. As one and half-an-hour passed and Salim did not come out of his jewellery shop, Ilyas went to look for him and found that the shutter was already down but it was unlocked. He pulled up the shutter and discovered Salim lying on the floor in an unconscious state. Salim was declared brought dead at Calcutta Medical College and Hospital. 

Officers of the homicide section of the Kolkata Police’s detective department inspected his shop with sniffer dog. A relative of Salim later said that when his wife had called him when he would come home, he had told her that he would be late because he will have to wait for a customer for the sale of some gems to him. The police suspect the murder was for gain. Ilyas was questioned by the cops for clues.