The Kolkata Police arrested BJP leader Ranjeet Majumdar on Saturday in connection with an LPG dealership scam. He is accused of duping several BJP and RSS members on the promise of providing LPG dealerships under a scheme of the Union government.

Senior police officials questioned Majumdar for hours at Lalbazar before placing him under arrest. A Special Investigation Team (SIT) had been investigating the case for the past few days after receiving a complaint against him. There are serious allegations against the leader, it was learnt from police sources.

A complaint was filed by former BJP leader Ashok Sarkar on 3 August accusing Majumdar of gross impropriety, nepotism and presumably financial corruption over the allocation of LPG dealerships in 2017-18 by nationalised petroleum companies favouring members of BJP and RSS.

Sources close to the SIT said the complainant had named some senior BJP and RSS members while alleging that some influential leaders in the state had recommended the names of the beneficiaries. It has further been alleged that several BJP and RSS members were lured into applying for the dealerships, but except 19 people, the rest had been duped in the scam.

Majumdar’s arrest came soon after the complaint which also mentioned a list of 235 individuals being sent to a senior RSS leader for approval and hinting at largescale corruption which might have its roots spread throughout the state.

The BJP leader has been charged under IPC Sections 420 (cheating) and 120B (criminal conspiracy). The seven-member SIT is investigating the case further.

According to the police, the scam ran into crores and was spread in different districts of Bengal.

Majumdar was reportedly the central state coordinator for BJP earlier. He was removed from the post after the controversy erupted in August.

The BJP has, however, said Majumdar had been framed, and that the party would support him.

“He is our party member and we will support him. If anyone is found involved in financial irregularities, the law will take its own course. As far as this case is concerned, he was arrested after police recorded the statement of two people from Murshidabad,” BJP state president Dilip Ghosh told The Indian Express.