Jolt for Mamata Banerjee? Madan Mitra arrested in Saradha ponzi scam

KOLKATA: In an embarrassment to the ruling Trinamool Congress, West Bengal transport minister Madan Mitra was today arrested by CBI in connection with the multi-crore Saradha chit fund scam.

Mitra was arrested in a case relating to Saradha Realty on charges of criminal conspiracy, cheating, misappropriation of funds as well as deriving undue financial benefits from the Saradha Group, a CBI spokesman here said.

He was taken into custody after five hours of intense questioning at the Salt Lake CGO complex housing the CBI office.

The CBI also arrested Naresh Balodia, legal advisor to Sudipto Sen and Saradha Group on charges of criminal conspiracy, cheating and diversion of funds in the same case, he said.

Balodia had drafted the letter which Sudipto Sen had sent to the CBI, he said.

The CBI had earlier arrested two TMC MPs Kunal Ghosh and Srinjay Bose in connection with the Saradha scam.