Kolkata: A Barasat court on Thursday framed charges against former Bidhannagar Municipal Corporation councillor Debraj Chakraborty in multiple cases linked to alleged extortion from promoters and running a syndicate network.
The charges include Section 111 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), which deals with organised crime, besides provisions related to extortion and illegal collection of money from promoters. It ran to around 150 pages and included statements of 11 witnesses and documentary evidence, police and prosecution sources said. Police have claimed the alleged illegal collections exceeded Rs 100 crore. Chakraborty, husband of former Rajarhat-Gopalpur MLA Aditi Munshi, was arrested by a joint team of Bidhannagar police and the state STF from Purulia on July 1.
The framing of charges marks the beginning of the trial, with recording of witness statements expected to start next week, court sources said. Police have so far filed three chargesheets against Chakraborty. An Aug chargesheet alleged that he operated a syndicate and extorted money from promoters. A supplementary chargesheet is also expected as the investigation continues.
A third chargesheet filed earlier this month alleged that money collected through extortion was routed through bank accounts and subsequently transferred to private entities.