Kolkata, June 27 (IANS) A Trinamool Congress councillor of Dhuliyan municipality in Murshidabad district has been arrested on charges of corruption worth lakhs of rupees in the PM Awas Yojana.

The Trinamool Congress councillor is accused of taking Rs 20,000 and Rs 30,000 from people by promising to provide houses under the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana. However, it is alleged that no one received the money for the house under the housing scheme.

The accused, Sarif Sheikh alias Haddi, was arrested on Saturday morning following a complaint filed with Shamsherganj Police Station.

Sarif Sheikh, alias Haddi, is a Trinamool Congress councillor of ward number 15 of Dhuliyan Municipality. The police raided Sarif’s house at around 1 am on Saturday to investigate the complaint. He was arrested at his house in the morning.

According to police sources, he is alleged to have taken several lakhs of rupees in sums of Rs 20,000 or Rs 30,000 from the beneficiaries. He is also accused of embezzling large sums of money from the housing scheme.

Earlier, some women filed a written complaint against Sarif Sheikh at Shamsherganj police station, alleging corruption. It is said that Sarif Sheikh took money from many people, promising to facilitate houses for them under the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana.

Based on that complaint, a case was registered, and the Shamsherganj police station started an investigation. After collecting the necessary information and evidence, a raid was conducted at Sarif’s house in Dhuliyan. Following his arrest, he was taken to Shamsherganj police station and interrogated.

The arrested councillor was produced before the Jangipur Sub-divisional Court on Saturday morning. On this day, the police took the arrested person to the court under tight security to protect him from being attacked with eggs. The police have applied for seven days of police custody for the sake of investigation.

However, while appearing in court, accused councillor Sarif Sheikh claimed that he was being victimised by the Bharatiya Janata Party’s (BJP) revenge politics. He also alleged that the police broke down the door of his house in the middle of the night and arrested him.

–IANS

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