Shillong, July 18: Kaustav Roy, a prominent Kolkata-based businessman and the CEO of a well-known Bengal news channel with close ties to West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, has been arrested by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) on charges of financial defalcation.
After being summoned to the ED’s office at the Central Government Office (CGO) complex in Salt Lake on Monday morning, Roy arrived at the central agency office around 4 pm. He underwent an extensive interrogation that lasted for about ten hours before the ED sleuths finally arrested him at around 2 a.m.
Despite the high-profile arrest, the Trinamool Congress leadership has chosen to remain silent on the matter. Roy’s businesses and news channel had been under the ED’s scrutiny for a considerable period before his arrest.
Roy had been embroiled in controversies in the past. In August of the previous year, both the ED and Income Tax departments conducted simultaneous raids at his residence and offices. At that time, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee accused the BJP and the Union government of attempting to suppress the media through the actions of central agencies.
In March 2018, Roy faced arrest by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) as the director of RP Infosystems in connection with a Rs 515 crore bank fraud scam involving Punjab National Bank and Canara Bank.