A drama unfolded at Gangarampur in South Dinajpur on Thursday night after rumours spread that Sumit Roy, the absconding personal assistant of Trinamool Congress leader Abhishek Banerjee, was attempting to flee the district aboard a Calcutta-bound bus from Balurghat.

Roy, who has been accused of corruption, has gone into hiding. Police have issued a lookout circular for him.

Around 8.45pm on Thursday, local BJP leaders and residents intercepted the bus near Chowpathi in Gangarampur town.

Some of them got into the bus and said a particular passenger was Roy.

A large contingent from the Gangarampur police station, led by the inspector-in-charge, rushed to the spot.

The crowd continued to swell outside the bus while police officers questioned the individual and verified his identity.

It was found that the traveller was Shariful Alam, a policeman posted at the intelligence branch (IB) office in South Dinajpur district. He was earlier a police security officer (PSO) and was part of Abhishek's security detail.

After establishing that the passenger was not the absconding aide, the police allowed the bus to continue its journey after almost an hour.

The unexpected intervention, during which police officers and members of the public boarded the bus, left several passengers alarmed.

Brindaban Ghosh, the BJP president of Gangarampur town committee, said the residents had stopped the vehicle on suspicion that the passenger was Roy.

"People suspected that Abhishek Banerjee's close aide, Sumit Roy, was travelling on the bus and stopped the vehicle. After learning about the incident, we informed the police. During verification, it became clear that the individual was not Roy but a former police security officer who had once been deployed with Abhishek. Once the misunderstanding was cleared, the police allowed the bus to proceed,” Ghosh said.

Police sources said Alam was travelling to Calcutta on official or personal work. “No further action was taken after his identity was confirmed,” said a police officer.

Around two weeks ago, a police team from Salboni in West Midnapore had searched Abhishek's three-storey house in Calcutta for Roy in connection with an alleged land fraud.