Kolkata, Oct 25 – Police in West Bengal finally snared Tahsin Ahmed, the son of former Trinamool Congress minority‑wing co‑president Shakil Ahmed, after he tried to flee on a bus bound for Jharkhand. The arrest took place near Chandrachud intersection on National Highway 19, close to the bus stop that leads into the neighboring state.
Police found gold worth ₹31 lakh in Tahsin’s bag, a stash that could help finance more crimes. The state police say he planned to escape right before the day the promised money was due.
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### A ₹350‑crore chit‑fund scam in Asansol
Tahsin Ahmed ran an unlicensed corporate entity from Asansol in West Burdwan district. He collected deposits totalling ₹350 crore from about 3,000 people. Promising a 14 percent monthly return—₹2.8 lakhs on every ₹1 lakh invested—he chose to abscond on October 15, the day investors were supposed to get their payouts.
He didn’t keep silent. The day that payment was due, he posted a video on his social media page, apologizing that he could not meet the October 20 deadline.
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### Opposition demands swift action
The scam first hit headlines on Thursday when Suvendu Adhikari, the Leader of the Opposition in the West Bengal Assembly, shared the video on the state’s social media. He called for Tahsin’s immediate arrest and asked the Enforcement Directorate and SEBI to launch a probe. He also demanded that the company return all the money it had taken from depositors.
The BJP’s IT cell chief for West Bengal, Amit Malviya, echoed the criticism on his own channel. He said most of the investors who lost money were from the Muslim community.
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### Trinamool Congress distances itself
The Trinamool Congress (TMC) has already begun to distance itself from both Tahsin Ahmed and his father. Mehfuzul Hasan, the current president of the TMC minority wing in West Burdwan, confirmed that the pair have no ties to the party after the scandal.
“We had appointed Shakil Ahmed as the co‑president of our minority cell in West Burdwan, but now he has completely severed his connection with the party,” Hasan said.
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### What’s next?
With Tahsin now in police custody, investigators will focus on tracing his network and determining how the ₹350 crore was misappropriated. The state’s enforcement agencies, including the Enforcement Directorate and SEBI, will likely launch a full investigation to uncover whether other offenders were involved.
The case has put a spotlight on chit‑fund scams in West Bengal and sparked calls from opposition and civil groups for tighter regulation and harsher penalties for fraudsters who prey on ordinary people’s savings.
Source: ianslive
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