Police have summoned BJP MLA from Cooch Behar, Nikhil Ranjan Dey, in connection with the alleged extortion call made by men who were lodged inside a guest room of the MLA hostel on Kyd Street which was allegedly booked by Dey.
Dey was sent an email by Kolkata Police on Friday night asking him to be present before Shakespeare Sarani police station within three days of receiving the email.
Three persons were arrested from the MLA hostel on Kyd Street for allegedly demanding ₹5 lakh from Kalna Municipality chairman Ananda Dutta, pretending to be calling from the office of Trinamool Congress national general secretary Abhishek Banerjee.
Dutta complained to the police that he received a call where the person claimed to be calling from the Camac Street office of MP Banerjee and demanded ₹5 lakh.
The fact that the accused were lodged inside the MLA hostel — a place which is supposed to be safe and secure and could be accessed only by a few people — has rung the alarm bells in the police headquarters.
Dey, the BJP MLA of Cooch Behar Dakshin Assembly seat, said he came to know about the case from media persons on Thursday.
“I have informed the matter to the Speaker of the Assembly, the superintendent of the MLA hostel, and also to our party leaders. I don’t know any of these persons who have been arrested in connection with the case,” said Dey on Saturday
“Also I have not yet received any letter or e-mail from the police,” he added.
“In case the police call me, I will definitely cooperate with them. I also want to know who all have used my letterhead to a book room at the MLA hostel,” Dey said.
Kolkata Police commissioner Manoj Verma said on Saturday that the police were investigating how the three men had entered the MLA hostel and if there were any security lapses.
“We are checking how the men accessed the MLA hostel and if there were any security lapses. The police had taken prompt action. Hence, we could stop the fraud and arrest the three,” Verma said.
According to the police probe, the guest room where the three accused were lodging, was booked by the BJP MLA in the name of one Imran Sheikh.
However, the phone number which was written in the booking register belonged to one of the three persons who had been arrested.
The arrested trio was identified as Junayedul Haque Chowdhury, 33, Subhadip Malik, 24, and Sheikh Taslim, 38.
