Daijiworld Media Network - Kolkata
Kolkata, Oct 11: The Bidhannagar Police have arrested Rajeev Ranjan Kumar, a former Bihar-based political leader associated with the National Democratic Alliance (NDA), for allegedly running a multi-crore fraud racket in West Bengal. He was apprehended earlier this week in Bihar after being on the run for weeks.
According to officials, Kumar had contested the 2020 Bihar Assembly elections from Sasaram as a candidate of the Bharatiya Sablog Party but lost. In recent months, he had shifted base to Kolkata’s Salt Lake area, where he allegedly operated a fraudulent business that duped multiple victims of large sums of money.
The intelligence unit of the Bidhannagar Police Commissionerate tracked and arrested him following complaints linked to two separate fraud cases filed at the Salt Lake East Police Station in September.
Fraud Involving Former High Court Judge
One of the major cases involves the alleged embezzlement of Rs 4.5 crore from retired Calcutta High Court judge Indrajit Chatterjee. The incident was reported on September 7. Police say Kumar played a key role in deceiving the former judge and misappropriating the funds under false pretenses.
Forgery and Property Scam
The second case, lodged on September 14, accuses Kumar of forging documents to sell a house in Salt Lake’s CD Block valued at Rs 1 crore. The complaint was filed by a resident of AJ Block, who claimed that Kumar manipulated property papers and conducted an illegal transaction.
Fled to Bihar to Avoid Arrest
After learning that he was under investigation, Kumar reportedly fled to Bihar. Police sources say a special team was formed to locate him. He was arrested during a raid conducted at his hideout in Bihar earlier this week.
“There are two separate fraud cases against him, and investigations are underway,” confirmed a senior officer from the Bidhannagar Police Commissionerate.
Authorities are now working to uncover the full extent of the fraud network and determine if more individuals were involved. Further arrests and interrogations are expected as the probe deepens.