Arabul Islam, a Trinamul leader from Bhangar in South 24-Parganas, was arrested on Thursday night in connection with the murder of Mohammad Mohiuddin Molla during the rural polls in June last year.
Mohiuddin, a member of the Indian Secular Front (ISF), was shot dead on June 15, when he turned up at the office of the block development officer in Bhangar II to file his nomination for the panchayat elections.
The police started a murder case following a complaint lodged by Mohiuddin’s father Qutubuddin. An FIR naming Arabul, son Hakimul and 20 others as accused was filed.
The father and the son were slapped with the murder charge and sections of the arms act. A case was also drawn up against ISF MLA Naushad Siddiqui for allegedly murdering Raju Naskar, a Trinamul worker.
“Arabul has been arrested based on a complaint over his alleged involvement in a murder case in June. There are charges of alleged extortion as well,” said an officer.
Arabul’s arrest came a little over a month after Bhangar came under Kolkata police.
Arabul, a member of the local panchayat samity, had in December appealed to the chief minister to step up his security as he was fearing for his life.
He was summoned to Uttar Kashipur police station on Thursday evening for questioning. He was later arrested and brought to Lalbazar.
Kolkata police officers said Bhangar, about 30km from the heart of Kolkata, was earlier part of the Baruipur police district and it took them some time to get all the papers related to murder before initiating a thorough probe.
Arabul has been arrested several times, including once for allegedly murdering his political opponent Hafijur Rahaman in Bhangar in 2018.