Bagdogra murder: Extramarital affair led to Bihar man's beheading in tea garden
Synopsis
A seven-year extramarital affair ended in a calculated beheading — Imam, a Bihar-based tantric, was allegedly lured from Kishanganj to Bagdogra by phone and hacked to death on a Monday night. His head was severed to hide his identity, then dumped 5 km away. Five people, including his wife and her lover, are now in police custody.
Key Takeaways
Imam , a resident of Kishanganj, Bihar , was found headless in Hanskhoya Tea Garden, Bagdogra on Tuesday, 15 July .
Police arrested five people: wife Momina Begum , her alleged lover Sudip Pal , his nephews Nitai Pal and Bapi Pal , and associate Kaushik Nath .
The Siliguri Sub-district Court rejected bail and ordered seven-day police custody on Thursday.
The severed head and murder weapon were recovered from Phansidewa , about 5 km from the crime scene.
Investigators say a seven-year extramarital affair between Momina and Sudip was the motive; Imam was allegedly lured from Bihar by phone before being killed.
A Bihar man was allegedly hacked to death and beheaded in a premeditated murder linked to a seven-year extramarital affair, police in Bagdogra, North Bengal confirmed on 17 July. The severed head and the sharp weapon used in the killing have since been recovered, cracking a case that had gripped the region since a headless body was discovered in a tea garden earlier this week.
How the Body Was Found
On Tuesday, tea-leaf pickers working in Section 9 of Hanskhoya Tea Garden near Siliguri stumbled upon a headless body. Police recovered the remains and transferred them to North Bengal Medical College and Hospital for autopsy. The deceased was subsequently identified as Imam, a resident of Kishanganj, Bihar, and a tantric by profession, whose in-laws are based in Siliguri.
Five Arrested, Bail Rejected
Bagdogra police arrested five individuals in connection with the murder: Imam's wife, Momina Begum; her alleged lover, Sudip Pal, a resident of Bagdogra; Sudip's nephews Nitai Pal and Bapi Pal; and their associate Kaushik Nath. When produced before the Siliguri Sub-district Court on Thursday, the judge rejected their bail applications and remanded all five to seven-day police custody.
What Investigators Found
According to police, Sudip Pal had been in an extramarital relationship with Momina Begum for seven years. When Imam reportedly opposed the affair, the two allegedly conspired to eliminate him, enlisting Sudip's nephews and Kaushik Nath in the plot. On Monday, Sudip allegedly lured Imam from Kishanganj to Bagdogra by phone. Investigators believe Imam was hacked to death with a sharp weapon on Monday night, and his head was severed — reportedly to conceal his identity. After sustained questioning, the severed head and the murder weapon were recovered from an abandoned location in Phansidewa, approximately 5 km from the Hanskhoya Tea Garden.
What the Police Commissioner Said
Siliguri Police Commissioner Syed Waquar Raza confirmed the arrests and the motive. 'Five people have been arrested in the murder case. Initial investigation has revealed that this murder was committed due to an extramarital affair. Everything is being investigated,' he said.
Context and What Comes Next
The case has drawn significant attention in the Siliguri-Bagdogra belt, where inter-state migration for work and family ties is common. This is not the first time the region's tea garden areas have been the site of serious crimes — the dense plantation cover has previously been used to conceal criminal activity. With all five accused in police custody, investigators are expected to file a chargesheet within the remand period. A forensic examination of the recovered weapon and head is underway to corroborate the sequence of events established through questioning.
Point of View
An inter-state lure, a severed head moved 5 km to delay identification. What stands out is the network: five accused, including nephews recruited into a domestic conspiracy. The swift recovery of both the head and weapon within days of the arrest suggests the accused had not planned concealment beyond the immediate scene. Whether the chargesheet will establish a clear chain of command — or whether some of the five were peripheral — will be the critical question at trial.
NationPress
17 Jul 2026
Frequently Asked Questions
Who was killed in the Bagdogra tea garden murder?
The victim was Imam, a resident of Kishanganj in Bihar and a tantric by profession. His headless body was discovered by tea-leaf pickers in Section 9 of Hanskhoya Tea Garden near Siliguri on Tuesday.
Why was Imam allegedly killed?
According to police, Imam was allegedly killed because he opposed a seven-year extramarital affair between his wife, Momina Begum, and Sudip Pal. The two allegedly conspired to murder him, recruiting Sudip's nephews and a friend to carry out the plan.
Who has been arrested in the Bagdogra murder case?
Five people have been arrested: Momina Begum (Imam's wife), Sudip Pal (her alleged lover), Sudip's nephews Nitai Pal and Bapi Pal, and their associate Kaushik Nath. All five were remanded to seven-day police custody by the Siliguri Sub-district Court.
Where were the severed head and murder weapon found?
The severed head and the sharp weapon used in the killing were recovered from an abandoned location in Phansidewa, approximately 5 km from the Hanskhoya Tea Garden where the body was found.
How did the accused lure the victim to Bagdogra?
According to investigators, Sudip Pal called Imam on Monday and persuaded him to travel from Kishanganj in Bihar to Bagdogra. Imam was allegedly killed on Monday night after arriving.
