December 14, 2025 09:14 am (IST)
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Saradha: CBI arrests Madan Mitra, Mamata calls move 'illegal'
Kolkata, Dec 12 (IBNS): After a marathon questioning session of almost 4 hours and 30 minutes, the Central Bureau of Investigations (CBI) on Friday arrested West Bengal Transport Minister Madan Mitra in connection with the the Saradha ponzi scheme meltdown scam.
According to CBI sources, the agency has arrested him under IPC sections 403 (misappropriation), 420 (cheating) and 120 B (criminal conspiracy) in relation to Saradha chit fund scam.
Mitra will be produced in Alipore Court on Saturday.
After receiving the summon from the investigation agency, the Trinamool Congress (TMC) leader came to CBI office at CGO Complex at 10:55 am on Friday.
The CBI started quizzing him from 11 am. After two phases of interrogation, the probe agency arrested the TMC leader at 4:10 pm.
According to CBI sources, during the questioning session, Mitra avoided or answered wrong more than 60% of questions.
For this non-cooperation of Mitra, the probe agency has arrested him for further interrogation. They took him to Bidhannagar police station lock up.
Reacting to the arrest, WB Governor Keshrinath Tripathi said, "Arrest of a minister is very important matter. I think, CBI has enough evidences against Madan Mitra. I don't know if this arrest is right or wrong. CBI should clear this matter very soon."
The Trinamool Congress party has called Mitra's arrest as a political conspiracy.
TMC leader Subrata Mukherjee condemned the arrest and said their party would hold a rally to protest against this on Saturday.
The rally will start from Gostho Pal statue at Maidan area and will end at Esplanade in Kolkata.
State Education Minister Partha Chatterjee said that to fulfill their political revenge, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) was operating the CBI.
BJP chief Amit Shah said the CBI was working under the direction of Supreme Court and they were not operating the probe agency. "Madan Mitra took the money of poor investors, that's why he is arrested," Shah added.
"It is not a political vendetta. There is a deep involvement of TMC's top leadership with Saradha," BJP's Sidharth Nath Singh told CNN-IBN channel.
Congress leader Adhir Chowdhury said, "Madan is the first wicket, Mukul Roy and Mamata Bannerjee to go... Mamata Banerjee should resign from the post of chief minister."
CPI-M leader and opposition party's leader of WB legislative assembly Suryakanta Mishra said, "This is the first major development of CBI in Saradha probe. Not wasting more time, Mamata Banerjee should be interrogated in this investigation soon. We hope CBI will start investigation against other chit fund companies like Rose Valley, MPS, ICore etc."
According to Nabanna sources, Arup Biswas is going to be the next Sports and Transport minister.
Meanwhile, the CBI also arrested the personal lawyer of Saradha owner Sudipta Sen, Naresh Valotiya in the same case on Friday.
After a meeting with the leaders, West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee told media that this arrest was illegal and unconstitutional. "Using CBI, BJP is doing a politics of vengeance. We may be arrested in any day," she said.
"Is Madan a thief or robber? Why did CBI officers arrest him this way? This is a conspiracy of 'coward' BJP ruling the central government. They don't have minimum courtesy, that's why without asking us, the CBI arrested Madan," Banerjee added.
At last she said, "If any party is opposing BJP in national field, we are ready to support them. Madan has submitted a resignation before going to CBI office, but I am not accepting this and no one is going to be next sports minister."
This arrest comes as after a series of other high profile arrests associated with the ruling Trinamool Congress party.
The CBI had sent a second summon to Madan Mitra on Monday.
He did not appear before the CBI as he said he was unwell and had taken admission at Seth Sukhlal Karnani Memorial (SSKM) Hospital in Kolkata.
After he was released from the hospital, Mitra told media that he was ready to help the CBI in the Saradha probe. Mamata Banerjee earlier said she did not believe that Madan Mitra was a thief.
The Saradha Group that went bust last year left lakhs of depositors in a fix.
Saradha Group chief Sudipta Sen and Saradha Group director Debjani Mukherjee were arrested in April 2013 from Jammu and Kashmir.
Several other TMC leaders, parliamentarians, were earlier taken in custody by CBI.
The Alipore court on Saturday remanded Trinamool Congress (TMC) MP Srinjoy Bose to jail custody till Dec 5.
After three days in Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) custody, Srinjoy Bose was produced in the Alipore court on Saturday.
His lawyer pleaded for Bose's bail, but the court rejected and sent him to jail.
The CBI, however, did not appeal to court for Bose's CBI custody.
The CBI had arrested industrialist Srinjoy Bose earlier in the scam.
Bose is the owner-editor of Bengali daily newspaper 'Sambad Protidin' and executive member of 'Mohun Bagan' football club. He is also the editor of Trinamool Congress (TMC) mouthpiece 'Jaago Bangla.'
Suspended Trinamool MP Kunal Ghosh and party vice president Rajat Majumdar were arrested earlier.
Apart from Bose, CBI on Friday quizzed West Bengal state textile minister Shyama Prasad Mukherjee.
(Reporting by Deepayan Sinha)
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