Krishnagar, Oct. 13: A little over a year after the murder of Trinamul Congress leader Samir Nag, police arrested prime accused Swapan Mondal early this morning from his residence at Gangnapur in Nadia?s Dhantola.

Nag, pradhan of the Trinamul-led Dubra panchayat and Chakdah block Trinamul president, was shot dead near his office on September 8 last year. Mondal was named in the FIR, along with Chakdah CPM leaders Asim Roy and Gopalgobinda Chandra, by his widow Neelima.

Mondal, high on the wanted list, allegedly enjoys the backing of a section of the Nadia CPM leadership and is a close associate of the notorious Hathkata Dilip, a criminal who is absconding.

Mondal used to operate in Ranaghat and Bongaon, the two subdivisions bordering Nadia and North 24-Parganas.

Nadia superintendent of police Benoy Chakraborty said he had fled to North 24-Parganas after the murder. ?A series of raids were conducted in Nadia soon after we found him accused in the Samir Nag murder case, but he gave us the slip,? he said.

Mondal is also wanted in many cases in Bongaon and Bagda. Sources said on the instruction of chief minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee to arrest Dilip and his associates, the North 24-Parganas police stepped up their hunt, forcing Mondal to return to Nadia.

?We had information that he was hiding in his residence. We also recovered a revolver and a few bullets from him,? Chakraborty added.

Additional police superintendent Biswarup Ghosh said Mondal will be interrogated about Dilip. ?We firmly believe Mondal?s arrest will help in locating Dilip,? an official said.