The CID recovered the mobile phone of Sumit Roy, personal assistant to Trinamool Congress general secretary Abhishek Banerjee, during a search of Roy’s residence in Kolkata’s Kalighat on Tuesday in connection with an alleged land-grabbing case in West Midnapore.
The search team was looking for documents linked to alleged financial transactions and the phone used by Roy, whose residence is next to Banerjee’s house. After the operation, officers took Roy to Bhabani Bhawan, the CID headquarters in Alipore, where he remains in the agency’s custody following an order by a West Midnapore court.
A senior CID officer told Telegraph India that the mobile phone was “a vital piece of evidence” and would be sent for forensic examination. The analysis is expected to focus on the phone’s data, but the officer declined to disclose further details, saying it would be unfair to reveal information at this stage.
Roy was arrested last Thursday after the Supreme Court rejected his anticipatory bail plea and withdrew his protection from coercive action. The CID subsequently took over the investigation, which began with a complaint lodged at Salboni police station alleging forgery and extortion.
According to senior police officers in West Midnapore, Roy’s name emerged during the questioning of former Trinamool Congress MLA Sujoy Hazra, who was arrested earlier in June. Hazra has been accused of selling large tracts of government land in Salboni using fabricated deeds.
Police sources said the investigation found details of a financial transaction of more than ₹1 crore between Hazra and Roy. The transaction is now part of the inquiry into the alleged land scam. The report does not establish the purpose of the payment or whether the transaction itself constituted an offence.
The investigation has also involved attempts by the police to question Roy. A West Midnapore police team went to Banerjee’s residence on Saturday to locate Roy and question him about the alleged financial transaction, a senior officer said.
The case highlights the administrative risks surrounding government land, where ownership records, title documents and the authority to transfer or sell property are central to establishing whether a transaction is lawful. In the present matter, the police allegation concerns the use of fabricated deeds to sell government land in Salboni, while the CID is examining the related financial trail and digital evidence.
The recovered phone is expected to undergo forensic testing as part of the continuing investigation. Roy’s custody and the CID’s next steps will proceed under the West Midnapore court’s order.
