Kolkata, Jun 9 (PTI) Trinamool Congress leader Sabyasachi Dutta was arrested early on Tuesday from West Bengal’s North 24 Parganas district on charges of extortion and criminal intimidation, police said.
Dutta, the former Bidhannagar Municipal Corporation (BMC) chairman, was apprehended from his residence at Raigachi, a senior officer said.
Based on a complaint by a businessman who alleged that the former Bidhannagar mayor had demanded more than Rs 1 crore from him in 2018, the police registered an FIR and arrested Dutta, he said.
“If they can prove that I took even one rupee, I am ready to be hanged,” Dutta told reporters while being taken for a medical check-up following his arrest.
He was being held at the Bidhannagar police station, where officers questioned him before the arrest.
The TMC leader will be produced before the Bidhannagar sub-divisional court on Tuesday.
Eggs and tomatoes were hurled at the TMC leader when he was taken to the court.
Dutta had unsuccessfully contested the Barasat seat in the 2026 assembly elections.
He had joined the BJP in 2019 and returned to the Mamata Banerjee-led party a couple of years later.
His arrest came after former Bidhannagar MLA and minister in the TMC government, Sujit Bose, was incarcerated by the Enforcement Directorate in a civic body job scam case.
Reacting to the arrest, state minister Sharadwat Mukherjee said, “The pillars of corruption and arrogance are being arrested one by one.” Congratulating the Bidhannagar Police for their promptness, he said that extortionists of the TMC era were being apprehended on a war footing. PTI AMR CORR BDC
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