On October 11, 2020, 23-year-old Bishnu Mal was abducted at gunpoint near a temple in the Hooghly district of West Bengal by Vishal Das and Viplav Biswas. The abduction stemmed from a love triangle involving Priyanka, Bishnu's fiancée and Vishal's ex-girlfriend. Bishnu was brought to house number 70 in a nearby colony where Vishal and six accomplices tortured him, demanding photographs and videos of Priyanka. When Bishnu pleaded for his release, the group tied a scarf around his neck to choke him into unconsciousness, severed his hands with a cleaver, dismembered his legs with swords and physical force, and decapitated him. Photos and videos of the dismemberment were captured on a mobile phone. The perpetrators packed the severed body parts into jute sacks and plastic bags, disposing of them in nearby ponds, drains, and rivers. Vishal carried the severed head in a bicycle basket before dumping it in a drain. Following an investigation aided by an eyewitness account of the motorcycle license plate (WB8D 3986), police located the crime scene and arrested accomplices. One accomplice, Mintu Ghosh, turned government witness after being paid ₹5,000 to assist in body disposal. In 2021, a fast-track court in Chinsurah sentenced seven accused individuals to death; as of late reporting, the conviction and death penalties remain under appeal in the High Court.
Country: India
State/Province: West Bengal, India
City/Region: Hooghly
Incident Type: Murder
Relationship Status: Love triangle
Relationship Duration: Approximately 4 years
Incident Date: Oct. 11, 2020
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How the relationship or connection began.
Approximately 4 years
Important relationship phases recorded for this case.
Reported red flags or early concern points.
Contributing factors and possible motives from the available sources.
2020-10-11
Recorded relationship or case outcome.
English labels are shown first. Original-language titles are preserved for source verification.
Crime Tak - India · Original language: Hindi
Kolkata: Cycle पर इंसानी मुंडी रख घूमा Priyanka का Lover, Room में बकरा काटने वाले चाकू से काटी लाश
Romantic Triangle
The incident demonstrates an extreme violent escalation resulting from possessive jealousy and rejection sensitivity within a romantic triangle. After serving a prison sentence from 2016 to 2020, offender Vishal Das sought to reclaim his ex-girlfriend Priyanka, who had recently become engaged to victim Bishnu Mal. Driven by obsession and perceived dishonor, Vishal mobilized a gang of associates to abduct, torture, and dismember Bishnu to assert control and prevent the impending marriage. The crime involved extreme cruelty, post-mortem degradation, and systematic evidence concealment.
Police rapidly initiated an investigation after victim's friend Anirban reported the abduction and provided motorcycle registration number WB8D 3986. Searching RTO records linked the vehicle to main suspect Vishal Das. Police raided Krishna Mandal and Rajkumar's premises, discovering forensic evidence including blood-soaked clothing and blood splatters. Accomplice Mintu Ghosh was turned into a government witness, identifying key locations where dismembered body parts were disposed of, enabling DNA matching. Fast-track court Judge Shibshankar Ghosh sentenced seven primary defendants to death in 2021. The case remains under High Court appeal.
Initial confusion arose because the abduction occurred rapidly without direct family knowledge of the suspects' identities. Relatives initially believed Bishnu was simply missing while purchasing medication. Additionally, police faced early difficulty identifying eyewitnesses inside the closed crime scene room until accomplice Mintu Ghosh turned government witness.
On October 11, 2020, Bishnu Mal was abducted by Vishal Das and Viplav Biswas at gunpoint outside a temple in Hooghly. Taken to house number 70, Bishnu was bound to a chair, interrogated about his engagement to Priyanka, and forced to unlock his phone. When Bishnu refused to comply fully, he was beaten with iron rods, choked unconscious with a neck scarf, dismembered while alive/dying, and decapitated. The body parts were packaged into layered sacks and dumped in rivers and drains. Police tracked the perpetrators via motorcycle registration and forensic evidence.
The offender demonstrated severe violent indicators prior to the homicide, including prior incarceration for criminal behavior, persistent stalking, non-consensual image acquisition, and sexual assault involving blackmail. Mobilization of multiple co-offenders and acquisition of dangerous weapons (firearm, cleaver, iron rods, swords) signaled high dangerousness and deliberate premeditation.
Unaddressed stalking, severe personal boundary violations, and criminal gang involvement pose lethal threats in romantic rivalry disputes. Rapid action by witnesses in recording vehicle registration details was essential for immediate investigative breakthroughs.
Persistent stalking following release from prison in 2020, threats made to Priyanka, and coercive behavior by the offender's family members served as major unaddressed early warning signs.
The critical clue was motorcycle registration number WB8D 3986 recorded in a notebook by witness Anirban during the abduction.
Key evidence included blood-stained walls and garments at house 70, recovered body parts matching the victim's DNA, recovered weapons (cleaver, sword, rods), mobile phone dismemberment photos, and testimony from 132 prosecution witnesses alongside government witness Mintu Ghosh.
Anirban stated he saw two men arrive on a motorcycle, hold a gun to Bishnu's head, and force him onto the vehicle. Priyanka testified in court detailing how Vishal harassed her post-2020 and how she was assaulted at his family home. Mintu Ghosh testified regarding being paid ₹5,000 to carry blood-stained sacks and dump them into local water bodies.
Initial missing-person reports were upgraded to aggravated homicide and dismemberment once forensic sweeps at house 70 uncovered blood and flesh evidence, followed by confession-driven recoveries of body parts.
The appeal proceedings in the High Court remain pending, delaying final execution of the death penalties.