Kolkata, 07 August (H.S.) : Two men, including Sayan Dey, who is alleged to be a close associate of former West Bengal minister Sujit Bose, have been arrested by the Bidhannagar Police Commissionerate in connection with allegations of extortion, land grabbing and immoral activities allegedly being run from a guest house in Salt Lake.

The arrests were made by the Special Investigation Team (SIT) of the Bidhannagar Detective Department following a raid at a guest house in Sukantanagar, Salt Lake.

According to the police, the guest house was allegedly being used as a front for illegal activities, including human trafficking and the commercial sexual exploitation of minor girls. During the raid, investigators rescued several women and minors from the premises. After recording their statements, they were released in accordance with legal procedures, police said.

The two arrested have been identified as Sayan Dey and Anirban. They are also accused of extortion and illegally occupying land by allegedly leveraging Dey's perceived proximity to former minister Sujit Bose.

Local residents and a real estate promoter had previously alleged that money was being forcibly extorted in the area. They also claimed complaints had been lodged with Bidhannagar South Police Station during the previous Trinamool Congress government but no action was taken at the time. These allegations have not been independently verified.

Police sources said the investigation is examining the allegations surrounding the operation of the guest house and the suspects' alleged criminal activities.

Sayan Dey has frequently been seen in public with Sujit Bose, and photographs of the two together are available on social media. According to local sources, Bose had also attended Dey's wedding, contributing to Dey's influence in the area. However, no evidence has been presented to suggest Bose's involvement in the alleged offences.

Responding to the arrests, BJP Bidhannagar Mandal-2 vice-president Shantanu Sarkar said the government was following a policy of zero tolerance towards corruption and criminal activities. Dey, however, denied all allegations, describing them as baseless.

Former minister Sujit Bose is currently in judicial custody. No reaction from the Trinamool Congress on the allegations was immediately available.

Hindusthan Samachar / Satya Prakash Singh