The CBI on Thursday arrested seven Trinamul Congress activists, including two block-level leaders, in Cooch Behar district in connection with a murder soon after last year’s Assembly elections.

Sources said two CBI teams had reached the residences of Trinamul leaders in Sitalkuchi block, Saher Ali Mian and Punyagobinda Singha, on Thursday afternoon.

The duo were taken to the BSF camp in Gopalpur, on the outskirts of Cooch Behar town. They were then arrested. Later, five Trinamul workers were arrested.

“A person known as Manik Maitra had been murdered last year in Sitalkuchi. The CBI has arrested all seven in connection with the case. They were produced in the additional chief judicial magistrate’s court in Mathabhanga today (Friday). The court remanded the seven in judicial custody for 14 days,” said Rabi Basunia, a lawyer representing the Trinamul activists.

On the basis of a Calcutta High Court directive, the CBI has been probing crimes like murder and rape which had occurred in Bengal after the announcement of the Assembly poll results last year.