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Controversial Trinamool Congress leader and recently former councillor Shams Iqbal of the Kolkata Municipal Corporation has been arrested by Kolkata Police over allegations of extortion involving ₹70 lakh, following a complaint filed by a businessman from Garden Reach area in Kolkata’s port area.According to the complaint, Iqbal allegedly demanded and collected money from the complainant businessman under threats and intimidation. The case is part of a wider crackdown on alleged extortion by local TMC leaders in the city.Source in Kolkata Police says, a complaint was lodged against the TMC leader at Garden Reach police station based on specific allegations of extortion, cheating, and unlawful collection of money. After a preliminary inquiry
and examination of evidence, a FIR was registered against Iqbal. During the investigation, the recently former TMC councillor was taken into custody. “Investigation is underway, and all aspects of the allegations are being examined,” a senior Kolkata Police officer said.Arrested TMC leader is known to be close to former Kolkata mayor Firhad Hakim.His name has repeatedly been embroiled in controversy due to his colorful and luxurious lifestyle.Once, he arrived at Kolkata Municipal Corporation HQ to attend a session in a luxurious Ferrari car worth approximately 5 crore rupees.Questions regarding his lavish lifestyle had arisen from that time onwards.Instead of engaging in those controversies, he continued to travel abroad one after another, and photos of these trips circulate on social media—something the opposition raises questions about. Shams Iqbal was the sole Trinamool candidate in the 2021 Kolkata Municipal Corporation elections to win the election uncontested. Allegations arose that the main opposition parties were prevented from fielding candidates against him.The opposition alleges that, by virtue of his close association with the former Mayor of Kolkata, he misused his political power and influence to amass illegal assets worth hundreds of crores of rupees.The arrest comes amid a series of actions against TMC councillors and local leaders in West Bengal over the past month. Multiple councillors from Kolkata and Bidhannagar have been taken into custody on similar charges, including extortion from parking operators, kickbacks from civic projects, and intimidation of residents.Protests have broken out in several areas where councillors have been arrested, with locals accusing elected representatives of misusing their positions. In recent cases, residents gathered outside councillors’ homes raising slogans and, in some instances, hurling stones.The current crackdown follows Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari’s public call for citizens to file complaints against those who allegedly extorted money during the previous Trinamool Congress regime. Police have since registered cases across the state of West Bengal an almost all districts from Cooch Behar to South 24 Parganas, with charges ranging from extortion and threats to money laundering.
