Baleshwara: Former Trinamool Congress (TMC) MLA Nirmal Ghosh was reportedly arrested by West Bengal Police from a hotel in the Simulia police station area of Odisha’s Baleshwar district on Thursday.

According to sources, West Bengal Police tracked Ghosh’s mobile phone location and traced him to the Simulia area, where he was allegedly staying at a hotel.

A team of West Bengal Police reportedly reached the hotel and took Ghosh into custody before bringing him to the Simulia police station, where he was arrested.

Ghosh was a former MLA from the Panihati Assembly constituency in North 24 Parganas district.

Ghosh had earlier come under scrutiny in connection with the RG Kar Medical College and Hospital rape-murder case in Kolkata. The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) had questioned him regarding his presence at the crematorium and his alleged contacts with former RG Kar principal Sandip Ghosh on the day of the incident.

The latest action follows a fresh complaint filed by the victim’s father at Khardah police station in North 24 Parganas district earlier this week. Based on the complaint, police registered a fresh FIR naming Ghosh, Somanth Dey, a local TMC councillor of Panihati Municipality, and Sanjeev Mukherjee, a neighbour of the victim’s family.

The complaint alleges the victim’s body was cremated on the night of August 9, 2024, in violation of prescribed cremation protocols and under the supervision of the three accused. It further alleges the hurried cremation was carried out to prevent the possibility of a second post-mortem examination.

Following registration of the FIR, Ghosh reportedly went into hiding and allegedly began using a new mobile SIM card to evade police surveillance, according to a source in the Barrackpore Police Commissionerate, reported IANS.

Sources said Ghosh is expected to be produced before a court in Odisha, after which West Bengal Police will seek transit remand to bring him back to Kolkata. He is likely to be produced before a district court in Barrackpore on Friday, where the public prosecutor is expected to seek police custody for further interrogation.

Confirming Ghosh’s arrest, state Health Minister Dr Sharadwat Mukherjee said the arrest should have taken place much earlier.

The complaint also alleges the cremation was conducted without the signature of any family member of the victim and the required cremation charges were waived.

It has further been alleged the post-mortem examination and inquest were conducted in a lackadaisical manner and completed within a suspiciously short period.

The allegations are part of the fresh investigation, and further details are awaited.