Kolkata, May 18 (IANS): Arghya Mandal, son of Trinamool Congress Bishnupur MLA Dilip Mandal, was arrested along with four others from the Bakkhali-Fraserganj area near the Bay of Bengal on Sunday night, as police continue to search for the MLA himself on charges of making threatening remarks against opposition workers, officials said on Monday. The arrests were made during a joint operation by the Special Task Force of West Bengal Police and Diamond Harbour District Police, with Arghya found in possession of firearms and accused of creating unrest in the area. The arrested individuals are currently being interrogated, with police investigating whether anyone else is involved in the incident. The action stems from a viral video in which Dilip Mandal, MLA from Bishnupur in South 24 Parganas district, allegedly made threatening comments toward workers and supporters of another party, following which a complaint was filed against him at a police station.
Police raided the Trinamool MLA’s house on Thursday following the complaint, with central forces also reaching the premises, but Dilip was not present at the time and officials left after a long operation by 4 p.m. It emerged that the MLA owns two houses in the Pailan area, both of which were raided by police. One of the houses, built over a large area, features a swimming pool, a large fountain, fanciful statues, a cave-like structure, and a courtyard decorated in a resort-like style, raising questions about how the public representative amassed such wealth. Since the discovery of the lavish property and the filing of the complaint, police have been actively searching for the Trinamool Congress leader, who remains at large.