Kolkata: Kailash Mishra, a former Trinamool Congress candidate for the Bally Assembly constituency in West Bengal’s Howrah, has been arrested by the West Bengal Police in Madhubani in Bihar, officials said on Sunday.

Mishra, a close associate of Trinamool MP Abhishek Banerjee, had contested the elections from the Bally seat.

Multiple Criminal Cases Registered During 2021 Polls

According to the officials, several criminal cases were registered against him at various police stations in West Bengal during the 2021 Assembly elections.

According to sources, FIRs were lodged against him regarding allegations of assault, intimidation, and extortion within the jurisdictions of the Bally, Howrah, and Liluah police stations.

Acting on these cases, a West Bengal Police team arrested him in Madhubani.

Mishra hails from Arer Puwari Tola in the Benipatti block of Madhubani district and is known to be a close associate of Abhishek Banerjee.

The West Bengal Police will produce him before the concerned court after completing the necessary legal formalities.

Recent Arrests Involving Trinamool Congress Leaders

Earlier on Friday, the National Investigation Agency (NIA) arrested a Trinamool Congress Zilla Parishad office-bearer in East Midnapore district of West Bengal, which is the native district of Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari.

The arrested person was identified as Samsul Islam, the Trinamool Congress office-bearer (health unit) of East Midnapore Zilla Parishad.

He was arrested in connection with rioting along with his associates during elections for the office-bearer posts of the cooperative bank in the district.

Kolkata Police Also Arrested Swarup Biswas

On Thursday, Swarup Biswas, brother of former West Bengal Sports Minister Aroop Biswas and an accused in the vandalism case at the Yuva Bharati Krirangan in Salt Lake during Lionel Messi’s GOAT India Tour on December 13 last year, was taken into custody by Kolkata Police.

According to information available from sources within the state police, the arrest was made in connection with allegations of extortion involving technicians associated with the Bengali film industry.