Kolkata: The sleuths of the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on Wednesday finally arrested another key accused in the assault on the Enforcement Directorate (ED) officials at Sandeshkhali in North 24 Parganas district of West Bengal, nearly two years after the incident.
The person arrested in this connection has been identified as Durant Molla, a close associate of the now-suspended Trinamool Congress leader Sheikh Shahjahan, once deemed as the uncrowned king of Sandeshkhali.
The main charge against Molla is that he was the one who led the team of Shahjahan’s associates who attacked the ED officials, in which three of the investigating officers were severely injured.
Even the Central Armed Police Forces (CAPF) personnel accompanying the ED official also faced the wrath of the mob, who also vandalised several vehicles of the investigating team.
Initially, West Bengal Police investigated the matter. Later, as the CBI took over the investigation, Molla was identified as the one leading the team of attackers.
Although Shahjahan was arrested by the cops of West Bengal Police almost a month after the attack took place on the ED officials, Molla went into hiding and remained untraceable for nearly two years
Finally, on early Wednesday, he was arrested by the CBI sleuths from a hideout in the North 24 Parganas district.
However, the CBI officials were yet to disclose the exact location from where he was nabbed.
Molla will be presented at the court later in the day, and CBI counsel will seek his custody.
Shahjahan, a key accused in the multi-crore ration distribution case in West Bengal, has various other charges against him, including forceful land grabbing at Sandeshkhali, illegal conversion of farmland into pisciculture farms by forcefully flowing in saline water in that land, and sexual exploitation of the local women at Sandeshkhali.
(IANS)
