Sanjib Raha, alias Sentu, the prime suspect in the Chorbagan Sarbojanin Durga Puja stampede in North Kolkata, had changed his mobile SIM cards at least eight times to evade investigators before being detained from Nadia district and subsequently arrested by Kolkata Police on Thursday night. Raha, who served as the treasurer of the Chorbagan Sarbojanin organising committee, is accused of making a misleading public announcement on 17 October that triggered a deadly stampede among devotees gathered at the pandal.

How Raha Tried to Evade Arrest

According to a city police officer, Raha immediately disabled his original SIM card after the tragedy and fled Kolkata, going underground. However, he continued to stay in contact with family members and friends in the city using a series of alternate SIM cards. Investigators tracked eight suspicious numbers he used after the incident, which eventually led to his location being pinpointed in Nadia district.

'Immediately after the tragedy, Raha disabled his original mobile SIM, left Kolkata and went underground. However, he had been interacting with his family members and friends in Kolkata using other SIMs. Investigators tracked eight such suspicious numbers he used to contact his family members and friends since the tragedy took place. Based on that information, our men finally detained him first from Nadia on Thursday and then arrested him after interrogation,' the officer said.

What the Announcement Said and Where It Came From

Investigators established during interrogation that the misleading announcement was broadcast from a separate room outside the pandal, an area reserved exclusively for organising committee members and special guests — not accessible to the general public. The announcement falsely warned of an imminent structural collapse of the pandal, prompting a mass rush toward exits.

Notably, the announcement came at a particularly volatile moment: rain had caused a standoff at the entry points, with crowds outside pushing inward for shelter while those inside refused to leave. The false evacuation warning ignited extreme panic, turning a tense situation into a stampede.

A Second Accused Still at Large

Interrogation of Raha revealed that another individual was present with him at the time the announcement was made. This second person, described as a neighbour of Raha in North Kolkata, has also been missing since the tragedy. Kolkata Police are now actively working to trace and detain him.

Two Parallel Probes Under Way

The stampede is currently being investigated on two tracks. The first is by a Special Investigation Team (SIT) of Kolkata Police, headed by an assistant commissioner-rank officer from the city police's detective department. The second is a judicial probe panel constituted by the West Bengal state government, chaired by Justice Anindita Roy Saraswati (retired). The judicial panel is expected to submit its findings to the state government within three months.

This is among the most serious crowd-safety incidents in Kolkata in recent years, and the dual-probe structure reflects the gravity with which authorities are treating the case. How quickly the second accused is traced — and what the judicial panel concludes — will shape accountability in the months ahead.