Kolkata: High drama unfolded at Trinamool Congress General Secretary Abhishek Banerjee's Kolkata house in the dead of the intervening night of Friday and Saturday.
A team of Bengal Police barged into Abhishek Banerjee's home at 2:30 am early on Saturday, sources told. The midnight raid by the West Medinipur Police was apparently conducted to nab Abhishek Banerjee's personal secretary Sumit Roy, sources added. Roy has been booked in an alleged extortion case.
media has learnt that the police reached Abhishek Banerjee's house at 2:30 am and demanded to conduct searches. The police team was stopped by Banerjee's security, who was inside the house. After a confrontation with the security team, the police barged into the TMC MP's house and conducted searches.
As the news reached Trinamool supremo Mamata Banerjee, she landed at her nephew's house immediately and confronted the police team, according to the sources.
After a high decibel drama for a while, the police team left Abhishek Banerjee's house and soon the former chief minister also left for her house.
Heavy Police and Central Forces presence was also seen the MP's house on Saturday morning.
Refusing to comment on the late night searches, Abhishek Banerjee told reporters to "go ask the investigating agencies".
The CID has also served a notice to Abhishek Banerjee to appear before the agency on June 16 in an alleged hate speech case during the West Bengal Poll campaign. Two separate cases are now being probed by the agency against Mamata Banerjee's nephew.
Troubles have been mounting for Mamata Banerjee's nephew and Trinamool strongman since the party's loss in the Assembly elections.
He was grilled for almost six hours and released a little before midnight on Thursday at the headquarters of the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) in South Kolkata.
The questioning was in connection with the ongoing probe in the case of mismatches in the signatures of several Trinamool Congress legislators on a crucial resolution relating to the appointments for opposition slots in the West Bengal Assembly. Abhishek Banerjee finally turned up to face the questioning on Thursday after dodging three consecutive notices for interrogation.
This came after the single judge vacation bench of the Calcutta High Court set a deadline of Thursday 6 pm to appear at the CID office for interrogation. Although the bench granted him protection from coercive police action, including arrest, for 21 days, it directed Abhishek Banerjee to cooperate with the investigating officers.
He has been summoned again for questioning in the case.
Meanwhile, another Trinamool leader has come under agencies radar over alleged corruption. Enforcement Directorate on Saturday conducted searches at the residence of MLA and former minister Madan Mitra. Probe agency conducted searches at Mitra's house in Dakshineswar in connection with the alleged Municipality Recruitment Scam.
Investigation conducted so far has revealed that Madan Mitra got bribe in form of cash and gold through middlemen for appointments on various posts in different municipalities, including Kamarhati. Sources say Madan Mitra is linked to more than 125 such illegal appointments. Further investigation is underway
