Trinamool ex-functionary Asif Khan hospitalised after arrest

Trinamool Congress's former functionary Asif Khan, who was arrested for alleged cheating, was hospitalised Friday after he complained of illness.

A businessman, Asif Khan has been alleging complicity of many Trinamool leaders in the multi-crore-rupee Saradha scam.

He was nabbed Thursday night by personnel from the Bidhannagar police commissionerate.

"He has been admitted to the state-run NRS Medical College and Hospital following some illness. A medical board has been constituted to ascertain his health. Once he is fit and discharged, he will be presented before a court seeking his custody," Deputy Commissioner of Police K.P. Barui said.

He said two cases of cheating have been initiated against Asif Khan.

"We have arrested him in two cases of cheating. Two businessmen have claimed that Khan cheated them of Rs.20 crore and Rs.8 crore, respectively. We have frozen a bank account of Khan containing Rs.3.14 crore," Barui said.

Once a close associate of Trinamool national general secretary and former railway minister Mukul Roy, Asif Khan severed all ties with the party in September and floated his own political outfit, Tahafaz-e-Islam, after the CBI grilled him in connection with the Saradha scam.

Asif Khan has also claimed to have seen at the residence of a top Trinamool leader and former union minister the purported letter sent last year to the CBI by Saradha promoter and scam kingpin Sudipta Sen in which he had named many influential people.

Asif Khan also alleged that he had received threats for supporting the CBI probe.