Sumit Roy, aide to Abhishek Banerjee, remanded to CID custody

Sumit Roy, personal assistant to Trinamool Congress (TMC) General Secretary and MP Abhishek Banerjee, has been remanded to eight days of Criminal Investigation Department (CID) custody. The arrest follows a Supreme Court ruling that dismissed Roy's anticipatory bail plea and vacated previous interim protections from arrest.

Roy is identified as the principal accused in an alleged multi-crore land-grabbing scam in Salboni, West Midnapore district. The investigation involves allegations of the illegal sale of government land through forged title deeds, with proceeds purportedly deposited into TMC accounts. The case includes charges of cheating, criminal breach of trust, forgery, and criminal conspiracy.

During the legal proceedings, the Solicitor General argued that Roy had been evasive during investigations and that custodial interrogation was necessary. Defense counsel contended that no incriminating material had emerged from previous questioning and suggested the legal actions were politically motivated. Following his arrest at Abhishek Banerjee’s residence in Kolkata, Roy was presented before a district court in West Midnapore.