Popular Bengali thriller, horror and suspense writer Anish Deb passed away at a private hospital in Kolkata on Wednesday, media reports said.

Deb, who is hailed as the writer of the first futuristic thriller in Bengali "Teish Ghanta Shaath Minute", died of COVID-19, media reports added.

The 70-year-old had been ailing for some time due to heart ailments and was admitted to hospital for treatment where he tested COVID-19 positive, IBNS said. 

As his health condition deteriorated,  doctors suggested plasma therapy. Despite the best efforts of the doctors, Deb succumbed to the infection, his family said.

Anish Deb completed his B. Tech (1974), M. Tech. (1976) and Ph.D. (Tech.) from University of Calcutta.

He not only wrote a large number of horror and suspense stories but also translated from other languages in the same genre.

Many of Deb's stories have been adopted into audio drama in Radio Mirchi's popular programme "Sunday Suspense".