Kolkata, Oct 13 (IANS): Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Friday arrested a city-based businessman Bakibur Rahman in connection with its probe into the rationing distribution irregularities case in West Bengal.

Rahman was arrested after the central agency sleuths conducted marathon raids and search operations since Thursday morning at his residence and hotel at Kaikhali in the northern outskirts of Kolkata.

On Monday, the ED officials also conducted parallel raid and search operations at Rahman's business associate Abhisgek Biswas, who was not arrested.

Rahman is known as a close confidant of a number of politically influential people in West Bengal.

On Friday afternoon, while he was taken from his residence to ED's Salt Lake office in the northern outskirts of Kolkata, Rahman claimed innocence while speaking to the media persons.

"I am innocent. I am just an ordinary businessman. I am not associated with any kind of corruption," Rahman said.

Besides arresting Rahman, the ED officials have seized huge documents from his residence and hotel. The arrest is viewed as extremely significant since it opens a new area of corruption in rationing distribution in West Bengal, which is already saddled with a number of other cases like cash-for- school job, municipalities’ recruitment irregularities, coal and cattle smuggling, among others.

In addition to ED, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) too is conducting parallel probes in these cases.

Sources said that recently the ED sleuths got access to certain documents regarding the operations of a rice-mill owned by Rahman, which hinted towards a major irregularity in the rationing distribution system in the state.

It is learnt that ED started its probe in the ration distribution irregularities from Wednesday when their sleuths went to certain rice-mills in the districts and questioned the owners of these mills.