Hooghly, 26 July (H.S.): The police in West Bengal's Hooghly district have arrested Nirmal Ghosh, Deputy Pradhan of Akna Gram Panchayat and a Trinamool Congress leader, who had been absconding for nearly one-and-a-half months in connection with allegations of extortion, intimidation and misappropriation of government relief materials.

According to police sources, a complaint was lodged against Ghosh at Polba Police Station on June 14, 2026, alleging misappropriation of government relief, extortion in different localities and intimidation of local residents. Based on the complaint, a case was registered against him under various provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS).

The police said the accused had remained untraceable since the case was registered. Acting on a specific intelligence input, a team from Polba Police Station conducted a raid in Shyamnagar on Saturday and arrested Ghosh, who was allegedly hiding at a relative's residence.

Local residents claimed that Ghosh had altered his appearance by growing a full beard, making him difficult to recognise. The BJP alleged that he had changed his look to evade arrest. Police, however, identified him and took him into custody.

According to police sources, the operation was carried out under the supervision of newly appointed Officer-in-Charge of Polba Police Station Tanmay Bag, with the investigating officer, Sub-Inspector Rakesh Das, conducting the raid with the assistance of the Special Operations Group (SOG).

The accused was produced before the Chinsurah Court on Sunday, where the police sought his custodial remand for further interrogation. The investigation into the case is continuing.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Priyanka Pandey