Former TMC MLA Ajit Maity arrested in West Bengal extortion case

Former Trinamool Congress MLA Ajit Maity was arrested on Friday in connection with an alleged extortion case in West Bengal's Paschim Medinipur district, police said.

Maity, who represented Pingla in the state Assembly, was arrested from his residence near Madpur railway station in the early hours, police said. He was later taken to Debra police station, where he was being kept, an officer said.

The arrest followed a complaint filed by BJP leader Gobinda Das at Pingla police station on September 23.

Das alleged that in 2016, when he was the TMC president of the Jamna area in Pingla-II block, Maity took Rs 15 lakh from him on the assurance that he would be appointed the party's block president.

According to Das, he was not given the post and Maity allegedly harassed him when he sought the return of the money.

Maity currently serves as vice-chairperson of the Paschim Medinipur Zilla Parishad and had held the post of TMC district president for several years.

He was elected from Pingla in the 2021 Assembly elections. The TMC fielded him from the constituency again in the Assembly polls held earlier this year, but he lost to BJP candidate Swagata Manna by more than 18,000 votes.

Following a split within the party, Maity remained with the faction led by West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, which subsequently appointed him president of the Ghatal organisational district committee.

Locals claimed that Maity had been largely absent from the area since the Assembly election results were announced in May.

Police said further investigation into the allegations is underway.  (with inputs from PTI)