'Lock Broken, Forces Deployed': Police Raid Abhishek Banerjee's Residence In Land Grab & Extortion Case

Kolkata: Massive security deployment outside Trinamool Congress national general secretary Abhishek Banerjee's residence in Kolkata on Friday sparked a fresh political storm after police teams from West Bengal's Shalboni Police Station conducted a search operation at the premises in connection with a land grab and extortion case.

According to sources, officials from Shalboni Police Station in West Midnapore reached Abhishek Banerjee's Patuapara residence around 3 am as part of the probe. The operation was carried out to trace Sumit Roy, Abhishek Banerjee's personal secretary, who has emerged as a suspect in the case.

Sources said the police broke open the lock of the main gate to gain entry into the premises after arriving at the residence in the early hours. The search operation continued for several hours, with a heavy deployment of security personnel outside the house.

Apart from Kolkata Police personnel, central forces and members of the Disaster Management team were also stationed outside the residence, creating an unprecedented security presence in the area.

West Bengal Chief Minister and Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee arrived at Abhishek Banerjee's residence at dawn and remained there while the search was underway. She was later seen leaving the premises after the police operation concluded.

Visuals from the spot showed police vehicles moving in and out of the residence after the search. According to sources, the team from Shalboni Police Station eventually left the premises after completing its operation.

Speaking briefly to media, Abhishek Banerjee refrained from commenting on the specifics of the case and said, "Only police can speak about the investigation that is underway."

Sources in the Bangla input team said the police action is linked to a land grab and extortion case registered at Shalboni Police Station in West Midnapore. Sumit Roy, who serves as Abhishek Banerjee's secretary, is suspected to have connections to the case, prompting investigators to search the Trinamool leader's residence in an attempt to locate him.

There has been no official statement yet from the West Bengal Police detailing the outcome of the search operation or confirming whether Sumit Roy was found at the premises.

TMC National General Secretary and MP Abhishek Banerjee on Friday stated that he has been summoned by the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) again on June 14 in connection with the signature forgery case linked to appointments within the party's legislative wing.

“I am summoned again on 14th June.  Since I will be in Kolkata on that day, I will appear at the investigating agency once again. I have always cooperated with the investigation and will continue to do so," the MP said, adding that the CID grilled him for five and a half hours on Thursday.

“Today, I was attending a meeting at our party chairperson's residence. Around 4:45 PM, I came to know that a CID team had arrived at my residence. I requested my office staff to receive the notice, but the officers did not hand it over. I was not able to leave the meeting midway. The next time CID visits, I would request the officers to contact me beforehand so that I can personally receive the notice. I have never tried to evade the investigation and have always extended full cooperation,” he added.

The developments come amid heightened political tensions in West Bengal, with Abhishek Banerjee having faced multiple investigations in recent weeks. However, Friday's operation pertains to the Shalboni Police Station probe into the alleged land grab and extortion case, according to sources.
 

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