Kolkata, June 13 (IANS) A team from West Bengal’s West Midnapore conducted searches at the residence of the Trinamool Congress General Secretary Abhishek Banerjee early on Saturday to trace his executive assistant Sumit Roy.

A team from Salboni police station in West Midnapore, led by a Deputy Superintendent of Police and accompanied by the central armed police forces (CAPF) personnel, arrived at the residence of Abhishek Banerjee, the nephew of former Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, at Kalighat Road in south Kolkata at around 3 a.m.

Soon, a team from the local Kalighat Police Station also arrived at the spot.

First, the police team, which also had a significant number of women personnel, knocked repeatedly at the entrance. Even after not getting any response, the joint team kept on waiting outside the residence.

Finally, after waiting for over two hours, they broke open the lock of the entrance, with the help of the state Disaster Management Department personnel, and entered the residence.

It is learnt that the raid and search operations were intended to track Roy, who is currently absconding, in a case filed against him at Salboni Police Station. However, the details of the case were not divulged by the state police.

Sources aware of the development said that the early morning raid was conducted in apprehension that Roy might be hiding at Abhishek Banerjee’s residence.

Meanwhile, on getting the news of the raid, Mamata Banerjee rushed to the spot from her nearby residence at Harish Chatterjee Street.

After an over-two-hour operation, the joint team of security forces left Abhishek Banerjee’s residence.

Later, Abhishek Banerjee accused the police of excesses and told media persons that the security personnel entered his residence by breaking the lock of the entrance gate.

The Trinamool leader will have to face interrogation by two investigating agencies in three different cases for three consecutive days: June 14, June 15 and June 16.

On June 14, Sunday, he will have to appear at the headquarters of the state police’s Criminal Investigation Department (CID) at Bhavani Bhavan for interrogation in connection with the case of mismatches in the signatures of some Trinamool legislators on a crucial resolution regarding appointments of opposition leaders in the state Assembly.

This will be the second round of interrogation in this case, as Abhishek Banerjee had already undergone a marathon grilling in the matter on Thursday.

On Monday, June 15, he is supposed to face interrogation by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) at its Salt Lake office in connection with the multi-crore cash-for-school-job case.

The ED had served him a notice in the matter on June 3.

Finally, on Tuesday, June 16, he is again supposed to appear at the CID headquarters to face interrogation in connection with a case where he had been accused of inciting violence and threatening Union Home Minister Amit Shah before the recent Assembly polls.

The CID officials served him a notice in the matter on Thursday evening.

–IANS

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