KOLKATA: Sumit Roy, personal assistant (PA) to Trinamool Congress MP Abhishek Banerjee, was remanded to police custody for eight days by a Midnapore district court on Friday.
The Criminal Investigation Department (CID) of the West Bengal Police arrested Roy on Thursday afternoon from Abhishek Banerjee’s Kalighat residence, where the Trinamool Congress office is located, in connection with an alleged land fraud case in the Salboni area of West Midnapore district.
The CID produced Roy before the court on Friday and sought his police custody for interrogation. The court remanded him to police custody for eight days. He will be produced before the court again on September 19.
Roy was taken to the Midnapore district court amid tight security arrangements.
His arrest came after the Supreme Court on Thursday rejected his anticipatory bail plea in the alleged Salboni land grab case involving the sale of Bengal government land and the deposit of the proceeds into the party’s account.
Roy, a trusted lieutenant of Abhishek Banerjee, was taken to the CID headquarters at Bhabani Bhaban in Alipore soon after he was arrested from the MP’s residence.
Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari, who also holds the home portfolio, while addressing the state Legislative Assembly on Thursday said, “Sumit Roy, an eminent extortionist of Bengal has been arrested. CID have arrested him from the Trinamool Congress party office on 121 Kalighat Road after his anticipatory bail plea was rejected by the Supreme Court.”
The CID, along with the Special Task Force (STF), cordoned off Abhishek Banerjee’s multi-storey residential building during the operation on Thursday.
On Thursday, a bench comprising Chief Justice Surya Kant and Justices Joymalya Bagchi and V Mohana also vacated its August 6 order that had stayed Roy’s arrest. With the stay lifted, the police moved to arrest him.
The bench heard submissions from senior advocate Gopal Sankaranarayanan, appearing for Roy, and Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, representing the state government, before declining relief to the accused.
The Calcutta High Court had on August 3 rejected Roy’s anticipatory bail plea in the alleged government land fraud case being investigated by the Salboni police station.
The case was registered under penal provisions relating to cheating, criminal breach of trust, forgery, using forged documents and criminal conspiracy.
The Solicitor General had strongly opposed interim relief, arguing that Roy’s custodial interrogation was necessary.
Earlier, during Wednesday’s hearing in the Supreme Court, the Bengal government had argued that Roy’s custodial interrogation was necessary in the land fraud case as crores of rupees in cash had allegedly been deposited by him in a bank.
Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, appearing for the state, told a bench of Chief Justice Surya Kant and Justices Joymalya Bagchi and V Mohana that Roy had been evasive during the investigation.
“I have placed on record the transcripts. There is a detailed investigation and he has been evasive,” Mehta told the bench.
While hearing the matter on August 31, the top court directed the probe agency to produce the relevant records regarding the alleged bank transactions that had been put to Roy. It also extended his interim protection from arrest.
During Wednesday’s hearing, senior advocate Gopal Sankaranarayanan, appearing for Roy, said that according to news reports, a chargesheet had been filed in the matter.
Mehta said the chargesheet had been filed against another accused, with a specific stipulation that the investigation against Roy was continuing.
Contending that the probe agency needed Roy’s custodial interrogation, Mehta said that, according to the investigation, Roy had deposited a huge amount of cash in a bank account. “This may only be a tip of the iceberg,” he said, referring to a deposit of Rs 71 lakh.
Arguing that the total amount deposited came to around Rs 15 crore, Mehta said there were a large number of transactions. “A person who is supposed to be the PA is depositing crores of rupees in his name,” the top law officer said.
