Kolkata
West Bengal CID on Thursday arrested Sumit Roy, personal assistant of Trinamool Congress MP Abhishek Banerjee, in connection with a land scam case in Jhargram, officials said.
The arrest came after the Supreme Court earlier in the day refused to grant anticipatory bail to Roy in the case.
Visuals showed security personnel and media gathered outside Abhishek Banerjee’s residence following the arrest.
Speaking in the Assembly, West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari said Roy was arrested from the TMC office at 121, Kalighat Road, after the Supreme Court’s protection was withdrawn.
“Sumit Roy has been arrested by CID from Trinamool Congress's Kalighat Road office at 121 Kalighat Road after removal of Supreme Court security,” Adhikari said.
He further alleged that Roy was involved in collecting money on behalf of Abhishek Banerjee.
“He was a number collector of his nephew. Sumit Roy is a number one collector of ‘Tola Bhatija'," he alleged.
A court in West Medinipur district had issued an arrest warrant against Sumit Roy on June 15, after which he first approached the Calcutta High Court, then the Supreme Court for pre-arrest bail. On August 6, the apex court granted Roy permission to file a Special Leave Petition and put a stay on his arrest until the next hearing.
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The CID action is part of the ongoing investigation into the alleged land scam in Jhargram.
Further details are awaited.