Kolkata: West Bengal Transport Minister Madan Mitra has been arrested by CBI today in connection with the multi-crore rupee Saradha chit fund scam.
The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) also arrested Naresh Balodia, the legal advisor of Saradha chief and scam kingpin Sudipta Sen.
"Mitra was arrested on prima facie evidence of criminal conspiracy, cheating and misappropriation as well as deriving undue financial benefits from the Saradha group," CBI official Kanchan Prasad told IANS.
"CBI also arrested Naresh Balodia on charges of criminal conspiracy, cheating and diversion of funds in the same case," she added.
Mitra, also the sports minister, was arrested following many hours of grilling by CBI sleuths at the agency office here.
He is the fourth Trinamool leader after Rajya Sabha members Kunal Ghosh and Srinjoy Bose and party functionary Rajat Majumdar, to be arrested in the scam.
Reacting to Mitra's arrest, Ritabrata Banerjee of CPI-M said that this should have happened earlier.
Earlier in the morning, Madan Mitra appeared before the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) for questioning in the multi-crore rupee Saradha scam.
Mitra, who was summoned by the CBI for the second time, reached the CGO Complex here at 11 a.m., officials said.
The CBI had summoned Mitra Nov 18 for the first time but he could not appear on health ground.
After undergoing treatment at a private hospital initially, on Nov 20 Mitra was admitted to the state-run S.S.K.M. Hospital from where he was discharged Nov 26.
Denying any involvement in the scam, Mitra after getting discharged from the hospital, had asserted he would cooperate with the CBI whenever it called him for questioning.
The legislator from the Kamarhati assembly constituency had appeared as a guest in several Saradha programmes where he had praised group promoter and scam kingpin Sudipta Sen for generating employment.
The CBI had earlier grilled Mitra's former confidential assistant Bapi Karim.
Mitra is the second state minister to be grilled by the CBI, earlier Textile Minister Shyamapada Mukherjee was questioned.
A few Trinamool leaders including Rajya Sabha members Kunal Ghosh and Srinjoy Bose are behind the bars in connection with the scam.
