The case has also raised questions about the role of certain employees in the Land and Land Reforms Department. Investigators are examining whether Sumit Roy exerted any influence in this case.
Photo: SNS
The West Bengal police conducted a raid at Trinamool Congress (TMC) General Secretary Abhishek Banerjee‘s Kalighat residence in the early hours of Saturday. The cops went looking from the TMC second-in-command’s personal assistant Sumit Roy, tracking the last location of his phone.
The West Bengal Police had previously arrested Sujoy Hazra, a former TMC MLA from Medinipur, in a case involving illegal occupation of land and forgery. It has been claimed that he altered land records for vast tracts of government land on either side of National Highway 60. Some of these land parcels were registered in the names of non-existent individuals.
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Sumit Roy’s name came up while investigating this case.
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On June 5, an individual filed a complaint at the Salboni police station in Paschim Medinipur claiming that in 2021, he had identified a plot of land with the intention of setting up a water plant. He had subsequently contacted Sujoy Hazra, who was then the MLA from Medinipur, at his office. During that meeting, Hazra gave him a contract which mentioned the latter as the owner of the identified land.
It has been alleged that Hazra accepted Rs 10 lakh from the individual without executing any formal agreement. Later, when it came to light that he was not the real owner, the complainant contacted Hazra. However, the matter could not be resolved and Hazra refused to return the amount.
The complainant mentioned that upon making further inquiries, he discovered that the land was, in fact, government property.
What the complaint mentioned
The written complaint further claimed that government land was usurped across multiple mouzas (administrative land units) in the Salboni and Midnapore Sadar blocks through the use of forged deeds, fake stamps, counterfeit seals, and the alteration of Land Reform records. Most of these stretches of land were located along National Highway 60.
It has also been claimed that a major syndicate may have been behind this land-grabbing operation. The complainant claimed that documents were created in the names of non-existent persons. The complaint named seven individuals, including Sujoy Hazra, and also mentioned details regarding the encroached land parcels.
While the West Bengal police was investigating this case, the name of Sumit Roy, personal assistant to Abhishek Banerjee, surfaced. It has been claimed that financial transactions worth crores took place between Sumit Roy and Sujoy Hazra.
The case has also raised questions about the role of certain employees in the Land and Land Reforms Department. Investigators are examining whether Sumit Roy exerted any influence in this case.
What happened after the search at Abhishek’s place
Police sources indicate that the search operation at Abhishek’s place did not lead to any result. The last tower location of Roy’s mobile phone was traced to Abhishek’s Kalighat residence; acting on this information, the police visited the premises. However, Sumit’s phone is currently switched off, police said.
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