Kolkata: The West Bengal Police have frozen five bank accounts of Sabyasachi Dutta, the former two-term Trinamool Congress MLA from Rajarhat-Newtown Assembly constituency in North 24 Parganas district and the former chairman of the Bidhannagar Municipal Corporation.
Dutta was arrested earlier this month on charges of corruption and extortion.
The investigating cops, at the same time, are trying to locate Dutta’s wife, Indira Dutta, who has been absconding since the arrest of her husband, state police sources said.
It is learnt that of the five bank accounts, one was held jointly by Sabyasachi Dutta and Indira Dutta. The deposits in these five bank accounts combined are Rs 1.70 crore. The couple also holds two safe-deposit lockers in the bank where the accounts are being held.
The investigating officers suspect that a substantial amount of gold might be stored in these lockers. The suspicion has arisen following the recent raid and search operations at Dutta’s residence after his arrest, in which the cops recovered receipts of purchase of 50 kilograms of gold by the arrested Trinamool Congress legislator.
Besides confiscating the five bank accounts of Dutta, the investigating cops have seized a high-end SUV registered in the name of Dutta’s wife.
The police have also come across information about a residential flat registered in the name of the former Trinamool Congress legislator.
On Tuesday, a search was conducted at Dutta’s in-laws’ house in Gaighata in North 24 Parganas. However, nothing was found or seized from there. The police will present Dutta at the Bidhannagar court on Wednesday and apply for fresh police custody.
Dutta, currently a councillor of ward number 31 of Bidhannagar Municipal Corporation, was arrested following a written complaint filed by a businessman based in Salt Lake on the northern outskirts of Kolkata, which also falls within the jurisdiction of the Bidhannagar City Police.
Apart from that, there were several other complaints in the past about his involvement in corruption, extortion and hooliganism in his locality.
Following the complaint filed by the businessman, the cops of Bidhannagar North Police Station raided Dutta’s residence at Raigachi area in Rajarhat after midnight on June 8.
Later, he was arrested from his house in the morning of June 9 after a long interrogation.
(IANS)
