Cooch Behar, May 17 -- In a major development in the alleged fake building plan approval scam case at Dinhata Municipality, police on Saturday arrested municipal employee and Trinamool Congress leader Moumita Bhattacharya, after detaining her while she was leaving the municipal office. She was later produced before the Dinhata Court on Sunday, which remanded her to three days' police custody.
The arrest has intensified the ongoing investigation into allegations of "large-scale corruption" linked to the approval of "fake" building plans within the municipality.
On the same day, police, accompanied by central forces, conducted a search operation at the residence of former municipal chairman Gourishankar Maheshwari on Sahebganj Road. The operation triggered considerable tension and discussion across the area.
According to sources, the names of municipal head clerk Jagadish Sen, employee Uttam Chakraborty, Moumita Bhattacharya and several others have surfaced during the investigation. Investigators suspect that irregularities in the approval process were concealed for a long period.
The controversy dates back to December 24, 2024, when formal complaints alleging corruption in the municipality's building plan approval process were lodged. During the probe, investigators reportedly identified at least 17 instances of alleged fraud. Along with the former chairman and Moumita Bhattacharya, the names of several municipal employees also appeared in the complaint. Municipal staff members Uttam Chakraborty, engineer Arkaprobho Dasgupta and Hari Barman were previously questioned in connection with the case.
While being taken to court, Moumita Bhattacharya declined to comment to journalists regarding the allegations.
Investigators are continuing their probe, and sources indicated that former chairman Gourishankar Maheshwari remains under close scrutiny as the case unfolds.
Published by HT Digital Content Services with permission from Millennium Post.