Kolkata, Feb 25 (IANS): One of the two persons arrested in connection with the gruesome incident of a woman and her daughter being burnt alive in West Bengal is closely linked to a senior minister in the Trinamool Congress government, a top state BJP leader has claimed.

The killing of the mother-daughter duo, whose charred bodies were recovered from Jhikurkhali in East Midnapore district's Haldia, has sent shockwaves across the state.

East Midnapore district police officer said of the two persons arrested in the aftermath of the crime, one has already confessed. Police were also looking into whether more people were involved in the case.

The victims were residents of New Barrackpore in 24 Parganas (North) district.

Meanwhile, state BJP President Dilip Ghosh said one of the arrested - Saddam - was close to a Trinamool minister. "He was even arrested for rigging the polls on an earlier occasion. I don't know whether the Trinamool considers him an asset".