Berhampur, July 19: The police today raided the house of arrested Siba Shankar Das, the first mayor of Berhampur Municipal Corporation (BMC) and BJP leader, and seized four cars and other documents. The raided team was accompanied by Das who had been wanted for several criminal cases, will be produced in court as his remand period will be ending tomorrow.
A special team of Berhampur police had arrested the former mayor of BMC in New Delhi on July 7. In 2008, he was inducted in BJD and elected as councilor of the then Berhampur municipality. Das became the mayor, when Berhampur got Municipal Corporation tag. In 2014, he deserted the BJD and joined the BJP. He was arrested last year for having a connection with the attack on a BJD leader but was released on bail. A few months later, police tried to get hold of him in connection with a dispute over stone quarry. However, Das managed to escape.
On landing in Bhubaneswar after being brought from New Delhi, Das remarked the whole situation to be a political gimmick of the BJD to make him arrest as the panchayat polls are round the corner. According to Das, it’s the BJD government that has arrested him because he left BJD and contested as a MLA candidate in BJP.
