West Bengal: Police Directs Bank To Freeze Trinamool Congress Accounts After Rebel Bloc Complaint

Kolkata: The Bidhannagar Cyber ​​Police in West Bengal on Friday wrote to a private sector bank asking them to halt debit transactions, or "debit freeze",on the three accounts held by Trinamool Congress, police sources said.

Earlier this week, former TMC treasurer Aroop Biswas, who also served as West Bengal's minister for sports and youth affairs and power, wrote to the manager of the concerned branch seeking the freezing of the accounts. In his letter, he expressed concern that unused or blank cheques bearing his signature might be misused.

Soon afterwards, some rebel Trinamool Congress legislators led by expelled party legislator Ritabrata Banerjee lodged a complaint at the Bidhannagar Cyber Crime Police Station under the Bidhannagar City Police in North 24 Parganas district.

Citing the numbers of the three private bank accounts, they expressed apprehension that vast sums of money, obtained illegally or from opaque sources, had been deposited into these accounts through an abuse of power. As per the complaint feared that without a swift investigation, this digital evidence could be destroyed or transferred.

Subsequently, officials of the Bidhannagar Cyber Crime Police Station sought details of the accounts from the branch authorities. Investigating officials thereafter decided to impose a debit freeze on the accounts and completed the necessary formalities with the bank authorities.

A debit freeze means that all outgoing transactions from these accounts have been temporarily blocked. While incoming deposits will continue to be permitted, cash withdrawals, fund transfers, debit card transactions and automatic bill payments will not be allowed.

According to police sources, the bank informed investigators that a total of Rs 440 crore had been deposited in the three accounts in question. According to Sandipan Saha, a prominent member of the rebel Trinamool Congress MLA camp, no outward transactions should be allowed from the three accounts under the current circumstances.

Police sources state that efforts are underway to identify other bank accounts held by the Trinamool Congress beyond these three. “Let there be an investigation into the legitimacy of the money in these accounts. Let there be an investigation into the source of the money deposited there. We want a thorough investigation into the matter,” Saha said.

Trinamool Congress legislator Kunal Ghosh, who continues to support former West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, said he was aware of the development and was keeping a close watch on the issue. (With inputs from agencies).

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