ED releases lookout circular for TMC leader following officer assault

Kolkata, Jan 6 (PTI) A day after a mob assaulted ED officers during a raid at the residence of TMC leader Shahjahan Sheikh in West Bengal, the central agency on Saturday issued a lookout notice for him, an official said.

There are apprehensions that he might flee the country following the incident on Friday in which three ED officers were injured and several vehicles damaged by a mob at Sandeshkhali in North 24 Parganas district, which is close to the Bangladesh border.

"We have issued a lookout notice for the TMC leader and necessary instructions have been sent to the Airports Authority of India," the ED officer told PTI.

Shahjahan Sheikh is considered a close aide of state minister Jyotipriyo Mallick, who was arrested last year in connection with the multi-crore ration distribution scam.

The ED officer said that agency has already alerted the Intelligence Bureau (IB) and the BSF in this connection He claimed that the TMC leader’s mobile tower location showed that he was inside his Sandeshkhali home on Friday when the agency team reached there.

"Since then, his mobile phone has been switched off and he is not there in Sandeshkhali. Going by some initial probe, it seems that he may be trying to cross the border to Bangladesh," the officer said.

On Saturday evening, Shahjahan in a pre-recorded voice message sent to his party workers in Sandeshkhali alleged that the central probe agencies were hatching a political conspiracy and he was not linked to any criminal activities.

PTI could not independently verify the authenticity of the audio clip.

"What the ED and CBI are doing is nothing but a political conspiracy to malign the TMC government. I am not involved with any wrong-doing ever and nobody will be able to prove my involvement in any such activity.

"I will ask people to have faith in me and TMC supremo and Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee and be part of her development works. I will also urge the people of Sandeshkhali to fight against the conspirators," Shahjahan purportedly told his supporters in the audio message. PTI