Kolkata, August 20: The police in West Bengal’s Hooghly district have arrested Uttam Kundu, the former head of the Tarakeswar Municipality. Authorities reported that Kundu had been on the run for some time.
Uttam Kundu is currently associated with the Ritabrata Banerjee faction of the Trinamool Congress. He faces multiple charges, including corruption and extortion. He is set to be presented in the Hooghly district court on Thursday.
Police received a tip-off indicating that Kundu was hiding in Kolkata. Subsequently, a team from the Hooghly district police arrived in the city late Wednesday night and apprehended him from a location in Kolkata.
According to police, Kundu is accused of extorting ₹4 million from Kolkata businessman Rajesh Agarwal. This incident reportedly occurred during the tenure of the previous Trinamool government led by Mamata Banerjee. Additionally, he faces allegations of illegally occupying an under-construction flat and land grabbing.
It has come to light that following the recent West Bengal Assembly elections, the Hooghly district police registered an FIR against the former municipality head based on a complaint from Rajesh Agarwal. The Trinamool Congress suffered a significant defeat in the elections, and Kundu had been on the run since the FIR was filed.
At one point, Kundu served as the president of the Trinamool Congress’s trade union wing, INTUC, during Ritabrata Banerjee’s tenure as state president. After the assembly elections, when the Trinamool Congress split into two factions—one led by Mamata Banerjee and the other by Ritabrata Banerjee—Kundu quickly aligned himself with the latter faction.
In exchange for his loyalty, he was appointed president of the rebel faction in the Arambagh organizational district. Despite joining the rebel group, Kundu has continued to assert that he considers Mamata Banerjee his supreme leader.
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