New Delhi:
The CBI on Saturday arrested three people, including the brother of suspended TMC leader Shajahan Sheikh, for allegedly being involved in the January 5 attack on an Enforcement Directorate team in West Bengal's Sandeshkhali, officials said.
Sheikh Alomgir, Shahjahan Sheikh's brother, Mafujar Molla, the president of the TMC's student wing in Sandeshkhali, and Sirajul Molla, a local resident, were expected to appear before a local court on Sunday.
The agency took Sheikh's brother and two others into custody during their interrogation.
The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has taken over three FIRs registered by the West Bengal Police on the directions of the Calcutta High Court.
After detailed investigation and as per technical evidence collected, they were arrested by the CBI today, the officials said.
With these arrests, the number of people arrested by the CBI in the case has increased to 14.
The agency suspects that these people were allegedly part of the attack on Enforcement Directorate (ED) officials on January 5 and incited a mob to attack the team when they went to raid Sheikh's premises in Sandeshkhali in West -Bengal, they said.
Sheikh was arrested on February 29 after 55 days on the run following violent protests led by women over alleged sexual atrocities and land grabbing. He went missing after a mob attacked the ED team that went to search his house in connection with an alleged ration distribution fraud.
The state CID took over the investigation into the allegations against him. He was later handed over to the CBI on the orders of the Calcutta High Court.
On March 10, the court sent him to CBI custody for four days, which was later extended for another eight days – till March 22.
The CBI has taken over investigation in three cases related to incidents on January 5 when the ED team was attacked by a mob of around 1,000 men. A former state minister has been arrested in the ration fraud case.
Sheikh was arrested by the state police on February 29, a day after the Supreme Court ordered that the CBI, ED or West Bengal Police could arrest him.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)