Gangtok, Jan 24: Four construction workers, including a minor, have been arrested in Sikkim’s Gyalshing district for the alleged murder of their contractor following a dispute over unpaid wages, police confirmed on January 24.
The incident occurred on Friday evening at Dentam Tar, where both the victim and the accused were working at a construction site. Police said all those involved were natives of West Bengal. The deceased has been identified as Rajiv Mandal, 27, a resident of Raiganj in Uttar Dinajpur district, who was employed as a contractor at the site.
According to the police, Mandal and the four workers, who were engaged under him as masons and carpenters, were drinking and having dinner together at their rented accommodation when an argument erupted over wage payments. Superintendent of Police Tshering Sherpa said the disagreement quickly intensified, turning into a physical confrontation.
During the scuffle, one of the accused allegedly struck Mandal on the head with an iron hammer, causing fatal injuries. After the assault, the workers are said to have attempted to flee the area by hiring a vehicle.
Acting on specific information, police intercepted the vehicle at Legship and detained all four suspects. The accused were subsequently taken into custody, and further investigation into the circumstances surrounding the killing is underway, officials said.
