Trinamool Congress MLA Manik Bhattacharya was arrested early this morning after being questioned overnight by the Enforcement Directorate in the alleged West Bengal Arrested In Bengal. He is the second Trinamool leader to be arrested in the scam.
The first was former Bengal minister Partha Chatterjee, who was arrested in July after piles of cash were recovered from properties linked to his close associate Arpita Mukherjee.
The Enforcement Directorate, or ED, which is probing money-laundering charges in the case, says the sacked minister’s WhatsApp chat history had a conversation about Mr. Bhattacharya’s involvement in bribe collection.
Mr. Bhattacharya’s arrest comes just weeks after the Supreme Court extended the interim protection granted to him in the case till further orders.
The Trinamool MLA, who represents the Palashipara constituency, will undergo a medical test and be produced before the court today. The court, while issuing the order on September 30, directed him to cooperate with the investigating agency.
Manik Bhattacharya was removed as president of the Bengal Board of Basic Education after his name came up in the probe following Mr. Chatterjee’s arrest by the party after the ED recovered cash from Ms. Arpita Mukherjee’s house.