Bengal police detain local TMC leader in Sandeshkhali on land grab charges

Maiti, a close aid of Shajahan Sheikh, was detained from the residence of a civic volunteer where he had locked himself for over four hours

Image used for representation (Express Illustrations | Amit Bandre)

KOLKATA: West Bengal Police on Sunday detained local TMC leader Ajit Maiti at Sandeshkhali in North 24 Parganas on charges of land grabbing from villagers, an officer said.

Maiti, considered a close aide of fugitive Shajahan Sheikh, was detained from the residence of a civic volunteer where he had locked himself for over four hours after being chased by villagers, he said.

"We detained him following complaints of land grabbing by villagers. We will look into their complaints and then decide on arresting him," the police officer told PTI.

Angry villagers had attacked Maiti a couple of days ago for his alleged ties with Shajahan and his group, allegedly involved in land grabbing and torture of local women.