WB Police: Kolkata Police: Alipore court allowed Kolkata Police to interrogate former minister and Garbeta MLA Sushanta Ghosh

MIDNAPORE/KOLKATA: Another CPM worker has been arrested in connection with the skeleton recovery case at Garbeta. On Friday afternoon, CID officers rounded up middle-aged Shanti Prachanda from Piyashal village where armed CPM men allegedly killed seven Trinamool activists and took five of the bodies to Benachapra. Shanti was a CPM branch secretary, but his name was not there in the complaint filed by Syamal Acharya.

Meanwhile, the magistrate at Alipore court allowed Kolkata Police to interrogate former minister and Garbeta MLA Sushanta Ghosh at Alipore jail in connection with the recovery of Rs 5.15 lakh from his D L Khan Road flat. On August 19, CID officers recovered the money from his flat and a case under Prevention of Corruption Act was registered at Alipore police station. On Thursday, the investigating officer in the case submitted a petition in court, seeking permission to interrogate Ghosh in jail. The appeal was granted on Friday.

CID investigators hinted that Shanti's name cropped up during interrogation of Biman Ghosh, who is now in judicial custody. CID sources said

In his statement to investigators, Ghosh reportedly admitted that he had played a key role in removing bodies of seven Trinamool activists who were killed at Piyashal. "He even told us who were with him on that day. Apart from Shanti, he mentioned some other names and we are looking for them," said a CID officer. While CID is trying to strengthen its case by building up strong circumstantial evidence, the agency faced a major jolt when Debashish Pyne, a key person in the case, refused to make a confessional statement in court.

CID officers claimed that Pyne has revealed some important details about Sushanta's nexus with an arms smuggling racket and also stated how West Midnapore CPM used to smuggle in arms and ammunition. CID officers feel that Pyne could be a key witness to nail the former minister in the arms smuggling case.

On Friday, Pyne was produced in Midnapore court along with other accused Saiful Ali, Sukumar Patar, Gunadhar Rana and Kalidas Chowdhury. Though Pyne did not appeal for bail, the court rejected bail petitions of the other accused who were remanded in judicial custody.