- Shahidul Mia, a West Bengal volunteer, was found hiding under a bed during police search
- He is accused of demanding cut money in connection with government housing scheme
- Police will produce Mia, who allegedly has links with TMC, in court and seek custody for further investigation
A civic volunteer in West Bengal appeared to have 'gone underground', quite literally, before being found hiding under a bed during a police search linked to corruption allegations.
The accused, identified as Shahidul Mia, allegedly has links to the Trinamool Congress (TMC) and has been accused of demanding "cut money" from residents in connection with a government housing scheme.
According to local sources, Shahidul Mia had allegedly been collecting money from people for a considerable period, claiming that he could help them secure houses under the government's housing programme. As complaints mounted, angry residents staged protests and demonstrations outside his residence.
Read: Trinamool Leader Took Cut Money, Then Attacked Man For Demanding Refund
The accused had reportedly been missing for the past two days. Acting on the complaints, police conducted a search operation at his house on Wednesday. During the search, Shahidul Mia was allegedly found hiding under a bed. He eventually emerged after police instructed him to come out and gave him assurance. He was then taken into custody.
Police said that the accused will be produced before a court today. Investigators are also expected to seek police custody to carry out a detailed probe into the allegations.
Officials added that the investigation will focus on verifying the claims and finding out whether any other individuals were involved in the alleged scam.
Read: Amid Public Fury, Trinamool Leaders Return 'Cut Money' In Bengal Village
Meanwhile, the BJP's IT cell head Amit Malviya on Thursday shared the video video on social media that purportedly showed Shahidul Mia hiding under a bed to escape an angry crowd, calling the "cut-money scam" in West Bengal something that was "producing scenes straight out of a political farce."
He said the video was from Mathabhanga in Cooch Behar district, where locals accused him of extorting between Rs 5,000 and Rs 20,000 from beneficiaries of government housing schemes.
Malviya said on X that "as investigations tighten and arrests mount, those who once exploited the poor are finding it increasingly difficult to hide, even under a bed".
"The cut-money scam in West Bengal is now producing scenes straight out of a political farce," the BJP leader wrote on X.
"As public anger erupted, the TMC leader hid under his bed to escape the furious crowd. Eventually, police had to rescue him from his hiding place," Malviya added in his post, along with the video.
This comes after several people in Mathabhanga last week received refunds of the "cut money" they had allegedly paid to local strongmen in order to access benefits under government schemes during the previous TMC regime, news agency PTI reported.
The district TMC leadership said the party had no role in such illegal collection of money from villagers or traders.
After the BJP came to power in the state, demands for the return of "cut money", allegedly collected by local figures linked to the TMC, have risen in different parts of Mathabhanga, leading some of the accused to return at least part of the money.
