Bhubaneswar/Kolkata: The West Bengal Special Task Force (STF) on Wednesday arrested Trinamool Congress (TMC) MLA from Bishnupur, Dilip Mondal, from a hotel in Puri, Odisha. The arrest was made in connection with multiple cases registered against him for allegedly threatening Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) workers during a victory rally earlier this month.
Background of the Case
Mondal, who served as the Minister of State for Transport in the TMC government for about three years, had been on the run for the past 13 days. He had escaped from his penthouse in Pailan when police raided it, scaling the walls to evade capture. Earlier, on May 18, police arrested his son Arghya and five others from Bakhhali, along with cartridges.
Multiple First Information Reports (FIRs) were filed against Mondal after a video emerged showing him threatening BJP workers during a victory rally at Molanga near Baruipur on May 11. The video, which was streamed live on Facebook, captured him saying: "We have shown a lot of restraint. We kept peace for 15 years. But this won't happen again."
The Arrest Operation
On Wednesday, acting on a tip from one of Mondal's aides, STF officials raided Hotel Lily in Puri. According to police sources, a 30-member team from the Bengal STF and the Puri Police surrounded the hotel to prevent any escape attempt. Officers in plainclothes first inquired about Mondal at the reception. Once his identity was confirmed, they called him out of his room to the lobby, where he was taken into custody without resistance.
Sources revealed that Mondal was preparing to check out and move to another hotel in the Baliapanda area. "We provided all necessary assistance to the Bengal police in tracing the suspect, who had checked in with an associate on Tuesday," Puri Superintendent of Police (SP) Prateek Singh told the Times of India.
Post-Arrest Statements
After his arrest and transit remand to Diamond Harbour, Mondal claimed he was being framed. "BJP is playing vendetta politics. Since I have been vocal against their top leaders, they took revenge by arresting me," he told reporters in Puri.
A Puri police officer added, "He had checked in using his associate's name. The moment he came down to complete the checkout formalities, he was taken into custody. There was no resistance. He had already booked another hotel near the beach for Wednesday."
Mondal's Political Career
Hailing from Chaluari in Falta, Mondal shifted his political base to Bishnupur. His political journey began in 1998 when he became the deputy chief of the Kuldari Gram Panchayat. From there, his influence and political clout steadily grew. In 2001, he was elected MLA from Bishnupur Purba, marking the beginning of a long and powerful political career. Except for one electoral defeat, Mondal maintained his winning streak until 2026.
Mondal had reached Puri by train about a week before his arrest and had been switching hotels to avoid detection. The STF's swift action led to his capture, bringing an end to his 13-day flight from justice.
