Bishu Dhar, a Trinamool Congress leader from Dinhata in Cooch Behar district and a close associate of former minister Udayan Guha, was arrested in Malda on Wednesday night for alleged embezzlement of funds.
A court in Malda on Thursday remanded Dhar in transit remand for two days. A police team has taken him from Malda to Dinhata.
A complaint was lodged at the Dinhata police station on June 12 by Rupam Saha, a resident of Dinhata subdivision.
Saha alleged that an organisation named Shishumangal Samiti had been formed in Dinhata after the 2021 Assembly elections and funds had been forcibly collected from residents, businessmen and various institutions.
According to the complaint, substantial amounts were collected in the name of social welfare activities and for the purported purpose of developing the infrastructure at the subdivisional hospital in Dinhata. “But no proper accounting of the funds was provided, and the collected money was misappropriated,” Saha had said.
Dhar had been named as one of the 14 accused in the case.
“Dhar had fled from Dinhata and was staying in Malda. When the police in Cooch Behar knew his location, their counterparts in Malda were informed about it. Eventually, he was arrested,” said a source.
Guha, the former Dinhata MLA of Trinamool, was the principal accused and was arrested in the case on Wednesday. Guha had been arrested previously in another case and was in police custody.
Dhar has long been a familiar political face in Dinhata. He served as president of the town block unit of Trinamool and was widely regarded as a close confidant of Guha.
While being taken to the court, Dhar acknowledged his association with Guha. However, he denied any wrongdoing and claimed the case was related to discrepancies in the accounts of a school he had managed.
“I used to run a school. A case has been filed against me over alleged irregularities in the school’s accounts. I have all relevant documents and information with me,” he said.