Bronx police detectives took a trip down south last week to apprehend a suspect in the brutal robbery and murder of a 59-year-old Bengali man more than three months ago in University Heights.

Last Wednesday, Detective John Ferretti of the 52nd Precinct and Detective Joseph Ciatto of the violent crimes unit worked with local police in Charlotte, NC, to arrest Abdul West, who was wanted for the robbery and murder of Bimal Chanda on Oct. 29. Another suspect, Devon Downs, was arrested on Jan. 28.

Inspector Joseph Dowling, the commander of the 52nd Precinct, said both suspects have “long track records” as criminals. According to Dowling, prior to the attack on Chanda on Oct. 29, video surveillance showed the two suspects attempting to rob somebody walking their dog, but the dog scared them off. They later focused in on Chanda, who was returning to his apartment building on West 190th Street from a local store where he bought packing tape for his family’s pending move to a condo in Parkchester.

Downs pleaded not guilty. Dowling said West was extradited from North Carolina and arraigned in the Bronx last Friday. We’re waiting to hear back from the Bronx District Attorney’s office about how West pleaded.

“They’re two bad guys with long track records,” Dowling said. “It’s a relief to family and it ensures that they won’t do this to anybody else.”

He added, “It’s what’s right for Bimal Chanda.”

Mohammed Ali, a friend of Chanda’s who launched a media campaign to bring light to the crime after it happened, was happy about the arrest, but still fearful of violent crime in the area, around West 190th Street and Grand Aveneu, where the attack took place.

“It’s good news for the community,” he said. “For a long time we were hopeless and thought the men [who did this] would never be arrested.”

admin

Welcome to the Norwood News, a bi-weekly community newspaper that primarily serves the northwest Bronx communities of Norwood, Bedford Park, Fordham and University Heights. Through our Breaking Bronx blog, we focus on news and information for those neighborhoods, but aim to cover as much Bronx-related news as possible. Founded in 1988 by Mosholu Preservation Corporation, a not-for-profit affiliate of Montefiore Medical Center, the Norwood News began as a monthly and grew to a bi-weekly in 1994. In September 2003 the paper expanded to cover University Heights and now covers all the neighborhoods of Community District 7. The Norwood News exists to foster communication among citizens and organizations and to be a tool for neighborhood development efforts. The Norwood News runs the Bronx Youth Journalism Heard, a journalism training program for Bronx high school students. As you navigate this website, please let us know if you discover any glitches or if you have any suggestions. We’d love to hear from you. You can send e-mails to norwoodnews@norwoodnews.org or call us anytime (718) 324-4998.