Sumit Roy, Abhishek Banerjee’s personal secretary
NEW DELHI: Sumit Roy, a key aide of Trinamool Congress (TMC) national general secretary Abhishek Banerjee, has been booked in a fraud and forgery case in West Bengal’s Paschim Medinipur district, a police officer said on Sunday.Also Read | Sumit Roy: The key aide who managed access to AbhishekAccording to the officer, the complainant has accused Roy—who has been absconding for some time—of cheating and forgery. Former TMC MLA Sujoy Hazra has also been named in the case, he added.Hazra was recently arrested in connection with a separate case.”We are examining the allegations detailed in the complaint and gathering all relevant documents. Each claim will be verified on the basis of evidence, and appropriate legal action will be taken accordingly,” a senior Criminal Investigation Department (CID) official told PTI.The fresh development comes just days after Roy was named in a land-grab case. Subsequently, the West Bengal Police issued a lookout notice and carried out a pre-dawn search operation lasting several hours at Abhishek Banerjee’s Kolkata residence in an effort to trace Roy’s whereabouts.The police action thrust Roy—previously little known outside Trinamool’s circles—into the spotlight of an expanding investigation into the alleged land fraud. Considered one of Banerjee’s closest aides, he has for years overseen the Diamond Harbour MP’s political, administrative and constituency affairs.The developments come against the backdrop of TMC’s defeat in the West Bengal assembly elections held in April, which brought an end to the 15-year tenure of party supremo Mamata Banerjee—Abhishek Banerjee’s aunt—as the state’s chief minister.
