Rajpur-Sonarpur councillor Bibhas Mukhopadhyay held over extortion allegations

A councillor of the Rajpur-Sonarpur Municipality was arrested on Wednesday in connection with alleged extortion activities. The arrested councillor, Bibhas Mukhopadhyay, also known as Monu, represents Ward No. 4 of the municipality. Police apprehended him from the Garia area and later took him to his residence and office as part of the investigation.

Investigators conducted searches at multiple locations linked to the councillor in an effort to recover documents and other materials relevant to the case. According to sources, several complaints had been lodged against him following allegations of illegal financial collections and other activities. The arrest was made after police initiated an inquiry into those complaints.

The allegations against Bibhas Mukhopadhyay include illegal collection of money in the Garia area, threatening real estate developers and promoters for financial gain, involvement in the filling of wetlands, and links to unauthorised construction activities. Police are continuing their investigation into these allegations and examining documents recovered during the searches.

With this development, three councillors of the Rajpur-Sonarpur Municipality have reportedly been arrested since the change in government. Sources stated that this is the first arrest among them specifically related to extortion allegations. A Trinamool leader from Ward No. 2 has also reportedly been arrested in a separate case and is believed to be a close associate of a municipal councillor.

In a separate development, police recovered a large quantity of relief materials from premises linked to Ward No. 23 councillor Chandra Ghosal and her husband Soumen Mohan Ghosal. The materials, including tarpaulins, rice, buckets and other supplies intended for public distribution, were allegedly stored at multiple locations in Manikpur. Following a complaint filed at Sonarpur Police Station, police conducted raids at three locations and recovered the materials. Soumen Mohan Ghosal is being questioned in connection with the matter.