Kolkata, Aug 20 (IANS) The Hooghly Rural District Police in West Bengal arrested Uttam Kundu, the former chief of Tarakeswar Municipality, who had been absconding, said officials on Thursday.

Kundu, currently part of the rebel faction of the Trinamool Congress led by Ritabrata Banerjee, was arrested on various charges, including corruption and extortion.

He will be presented at a district court in Hooghly later on Thursday.

Kundu was absconding for quite some time. After being tipped off by their sources, a team from the Hooghly Rural District Police reached Kolkata late Wednesday night and arrested him from a hideout in the city.

A state police officer said that Kundu was accused of extorting Rs 40 lakh from a Kolkata-based businessman, Rajesh Agarwal, during the previous Mamata Banerjee-led Trinamool Congress regime. He is also accused of forcibly occupying an under-construction flat and also has charges of involvement in illegal land-grabbing.

It is learnt that based on a complaint filed by Agarwal after the recently concluded West Bengal Assembly polls, in which the Trinamool Congress faced a landslide defeat, the Hooghly Rural District Police registered an FIR against the former Tarakeswar Municipality chairman. Since then, Kundu has been absconding.

At one point, Kundu was the president of the Trinamool Congress’ trade union wing, Indian National Trinamool Trade Union Congress (INTTUC), and Ritabrata Banerjee was its state president.

Hence, after the Assembly polls, when Trinamool Congress split into two factions -- one led by former Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and the other by Ritabrata Banerjee -- Kundu promptly joined the second group.

For his loyalty, Kundu was made the president of the rebel faction in the Arambagh organisational district. However, despite joining the rebel faction, Kundu maintained that he still considered Mamata Banerjee as his supreme leader.

--IANS

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