Bankura, 24 May (H.S.): The police arrested two influential leaders linked to the All India Trinamool Congress from separate locations in Bankura district on Saturday night in connection with allegations of financial fraud and extortion.

Among those arrested is Pallab Pandey, the agriculture functionary of the Trinamool-run Gangajalghati Panchayat Samiti, who was detained from Beliatore. Another accused, Piyush Chakraborty alias “Cassette Bapi,” was arrested from Bankura town. He is the husband of TMC councillor Pinki Chakraborty of Ward No. 15 of Bankura Municipality.

According to the police and court sources, a job aspirant recently lodged a complaint at Beliatore Police Station alleging that Pallab Pandey had taken Rs 4.60 lakh in 2021 on the promise of securing a job in the Health Department in Purulia district. The complainant alleged that neither the job was arranged nor the money returned.

Pallab Pandey was arrested on charges of financial fraud and produced before the Bankura district court on Sunday. The court remanded him to three days of police custody. However, while being taken to court, the TMC leader claimed that the allegations against him were false and politically motivated.

In a separate case, the police arrested Piyush Chakraborty on allegations of extortion. According to police sources, a paint trader from Ward No. 15 of Bankura town alleged that in 2023, Piyush had used his political influence to halt the construction of the trader’s shop. The complainant further alleged that he was later forced to pay Rs 2 lakh as extortion money before being allowed to resume construction work.

Piyush Chakraborty was also produced before the court on Sunday and remanded to three days of police custody. His lawyer, Anirban Bandyopadhyay, argued that the complaint relates to an incident from 2023 and suggested that political factors could be behind the delayed filing of the case.

Notably, Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari recently urged citizens to directly approach police stations with complaints related to extortion and cut-money demands. Since then, more than 70 arrests have reportedly been made across the state, with most of the accused allegedly linked to the Trinamool Congress. Charges against them include extortion, financial fraud, intimidation, and inciting political violence.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Priyanka Pandey