West Bengal: ED takes three associates of Shahjahan Seikh in custody

Three associates of former Trinamool Congress (TMC) strongman leader Shahjahan Seikh were taken into custody by the Enforcement Directorate, the agency said on Monday.

Three associates of former Trinamool Congress (TMC) strongman leader Shahjahan Seikh were taken into custody by the Enforcement Directorate, the agency said on Monday. The ED took them into custody on April 12 after the Calcutta High Court granted 10 days of custody to the law enforcement agency.

"ED, Kolkata, has taken Shib Prasad Hazra, Sekh Alomgir and Didar Boksh Molla (all associates of Shahjahan Seikh) into its custody on 12/04/2024 following the order of Hon'ble PMLA Court granting 10 days ED custody. Earlier, ED has obtained ED custody of Shahjahan Seikh for 13 days," the ED said in a post on social media platform X. Last week, the Calcutta High Court directed a court-monitored investigation by the CBI into the alleged cases of sexual assault and land grabbing in Sandeshkhali.

The women of Sandeshkhali in the North 24 Parganas district came out on the streets earlier against the ruling TMC and Shahjahan, accusing the strongman and his aides of perpetrating gross excesses and atrocities on them while also gobbling up their land. Multiple women on the island accused Shajahan and his aides of "land-grab and sexual assault" under coercion.

Earlier, a court in Kolkata remanded Shahjahan in ED custody till April 13, following his arrest in connection with the attack on the team from the central agency. ED also found many illegal financial transactions in the shrimp import and export business over the course of its probe against the expelled TMC strongman.

The agency also filed two Enforcement Case Information Reports (ECIR) against him. Shahjahan has been accused of forcibly occupying several lands in the Sandeshkhali area of West Bengal, according to ED sources.

ED also found many illegal financial transactions in the shrimp import and export business. The ED filed two Enforcement Case Information Reports (ECIR) against him.

Earlier, on the directive of the Calcutta High Court, the Crime Investigation Department (CID) of Kolkata Police handed custody of Sheikh Shahjahan to the CBI. Issuing a contempt notice to the CID, the high court ruled on Wednesday that the case pertaining to the attack on ED officials be handed over to the CBI along with the custody of the prime accused, Shahjahan.

The court further observed that state police played 'hide and seek' in the matter.' After allegedly evading capture for nearly two months, the suspended TMC leader was apprehended by the West Bengal Police on February 29. (ANI)

(This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)