The man who police said was riding a scooter ferrying a youth who allegedly tried to gun down Trinamool Congress councillor Sushanta Ghosh in Kasba was arrested in Bihar on Tuesday morning.
Lakshman Sharma, alias Chotu, was arrested by the anti-rowdy squad of Kolkata Police’s detective department in Bihar’s Vaishali, an officer said.
The pillion rider, Yuvraj Singh, who had tried to shoot Ghosh, was captured at the spot after the failed attempt on the councillor on November 15. Singh was dragged off the scooter when the duo were trying to flee.
CCTV footage showed two men riding a scooter that halted near the spot in front of Ghosh’s house in Kasba’s Rajdanga where the councillor and two others were talking on November 15 night.
A youth wearing a helmet, who was riding pillion, got off the two-wheeler, took out a gun and walked towards Ghosh. He went closer apparently trying to shoot the councillor from a close range.
The gun did not fire. Ghosh and his acquaintances rose from their chairs and chased the youth, who ran towards the waiting scooter.
He managed to jump on the pillion but was pulled from behind by one of Ghosh’s acquaintances. He was captured and handed over to the police.
The man riding the scooter, who was also wearing a helmet, managed to flee. He was identified as Chotu and arrested early on Tuesday at Chakeyaj village in Vaishali.
He was produced in a local court and will be brought to Calcutta on transit remand.
Singh had said after his arrest that Chotu was carrying an armed gun which he had thrown into a pond not far from the spot of the attempted murder.
The gun is yet to be recovered, the police said. Several persons have been arrested in connection with the case.