Kolkata, Nov 10 (IANS) Former Trinamool Congress (TMC) councillor of the Durgapur Municipal Corporation, Chandan Saha, was arrested during a police raid on an alleged gambling den in West Burdwan district, police said on Tuesday.
According to the police, his secret gambling den was a hotel in Durgapur. Here, large sums of money were exchanged during late-night gambling sessions.
Police said Chandan Saha was the main person behind this whole business. Finally, after receiving information from a secret source, officers from Durgapur police station raided the hotel late Monday night.
Four people, including Chandan Saha, were caught red-handed when gambling was underway during the police operation. Police recovered one lakh rupees from them.
Police said these activities had been going on inside the hotel for a long time, avoiding the attention of the police.
Investigators suspect that Chandan Saha, once considered an influential political figure in the area, was the key organiser behind the gambling operation. Police are probing the extent of the alleged gambling network and the role of those arrested.
It is alleged that Chandan Saha was also involved in several cases of extortion in the area.
The incident has triggered political reactions, with BJP MLA Lakshman Chandra Ghorui alleging that Chandan Saha had long used political influence to run gambling activities and was also linked to other illegal operations in the region.
He further claimed that authorities should investigate how the former councillor amassed his assets and whether they were connected to unlawful activities. “Chandan Saha has several associates. Such business was being carried out for a long time. Four people, including the councillor, have been arrested from a gambling den. A lot of money has been recovered. This former councillor became the owner of a large number of properties through various illegal activities,” Ghorui said.
Police have not commented on the MLA’s allegations beyond the gambling case. Further investigation is underway.
–IANS
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