‘Assembly polls tickets for cash’: Man held in Kolkata for using TMC MP Abhishek Banerjee’s name, cheating people
Sheikh Najmul Hoda allegedly posed as a close aide of TMC MP Abhishek Banerjee and convinced people that he could secure them tickets for the Assembly elections.
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The police identified the accused as Sheikh Najmul Hoda and said he was arrested from a hotel in Park Street. The Kolkata police arrested a man late on Friday evening for allegedly cheating people using the name of Trinamool Congress (TMC) MP Abhishek Banerjee by promising to get them party tickets for the upcoming Assembly polls.
The police identified the accused as Sheikh Najmul Hoda and said he was arrested from a hotel in Park Street.
According to police sources, Hoda posed as a close aide of Banerjee and convinced people that he could secure them tickets for the Assembly elections. He allegedly attempted to extort money from several individuals.
A case of cheating and fraud was lodged against Hoda at the Shakespeare Sarani police station.
#Kolkata | ‘Assembly polls tickets for cash’: Man held in Kolkata for using TMC MP Abhishek Banerjee’s name, cheating peoplehttps://t.co/fZCcZNpElI pic.twitter.com/JjDuf1NuLB
A senior police officer said that the preliminary investigation suggests that Hoda had been contacting people over the phone and in person, luring them with the promise of election tickets, to swindle lakhs of rupees. The police are investigating how many people he duped or tried to dupe.
Hoda will be produced in court on Saturday, and the police will seek custody for further investigation.
The officer said Hoda will be questioned to ascertain if others were involved in the racket. The police are also looking into his call records, his financials, and whether he has a prior criminal record.
TMC sources have stated that Hoda has no connection with the party and sought strict action against him.
In December 2024, three people had been arrested in Kolkata for allegedly attempting to extort TMC leader Ananda Dutta by impersonating officials from Banerjee’s office. Dutta, the chairman of Kalna municipality in East Burdwan district, grew suspicious and contacted senior party officials, who confirmed the attempt to scam him. After filing a complaint, the police conducted a sting operation, leading to the suspects’ arrest.
Those arrested from the MLA hostel were identified as Junedul Haque Chowdhury, Subhadip Malik, and Taslim Sheikh. One of the accused was arrested from a room booked by an S K Imran. The police also alleged that the guest room in Imran’s name was booked by BJP MLA Nikhil Ranjan Dey, who denied the allegation.
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