Kolkata, June 7: Former West Bengal Sports Minister Arup Biswas is facing increased scrutiny as the Bidhannagar (South) police in North 24 Parganas have issued him a new notice related to the Lionel Messi ‘Goat India Tour’ event. The police have directed Biswas to appear at the Bidhannagar (South) police station by Monday. This is the second notice sent to the former minister regarding this case.
On June 2, the police had initially issued a notice requiring Biswas to report to the police station by June 5. However, on June 4, he sent a written message to the police station requesting a 14-day extension for questioning due to medical reasons, accompanied by a medical certificate supporting his claims of physical illness.
In a recent development, investigators have sent a new notice to the former sports minister, asking him to appear for questioning at the Bidhannagar (South) police station by noon on June 8.
Previously, Biswas’s younger brother, Swaroop Biswas, was arrested on charges of corruption, extortion, and misconduct with female support staff in the Bengali film industry. A lower court in Kolkata has since remanded Swaroop Biswas to 14 days of police custody in connection with this case.
Arup Biswas, who served as a four-time MLA from the Tollygunge constituency for the Trinamool Congress, was defeated this time by BJP candidate and actress-turned-politician Papiya Adhikari by a margin of over 6,000 votes.
The police registered an FIR on May 30, based on a complaint filed by Satadru Dutta, the main organizer of the Messi event, on May 17. In his complaint, Dutta alleged that Biswas was involved in the black marketing of approximately 22,000 tickets for the event. Following these allegations, the Bidhannagar (South) police initiated an investigation. Notably, the new Sports Minister, Nishith Pramanik, has indicated plans to reopen files related to irregularities associated with the Messi event.
Deependra Singh Chundawat is a Senior Sub-Editor at Udaipur Kiran, specializing in a wide range of technology topics including mobile phones, applications, gaming, PCs, and wearables. Along with covering the latest tech news, he also creates engaging web stories. Passionate about emerging technologies, he stays up to date with the newest trends and enjoys reading and writing about the latest mobile launches and digital innovations.
