Police in Noida have revealed that Bibhas Adhikari, arrested last week for allegedly running a fake police station and used to pose himself as the “officer in-charge” of that ghost police station, also served as a non-official director of a West Bengal government-backed body.
A team of Noida police is supposed to arrive soon to inquire into the matter. Adhikari, a former Trinamul Congress leader whose name has previously surfaced in a high-profile teacher recruitment scam, was taken into custody alongside his son, Argha Adhikari. Investigators believe the bogus police station operation may have extended into Kolkata. According to Noida police sources, Adhikari’s name appears on the official website of the West Bengal State Warehousing Corporation as one of nine members of its board of directors, alongside senior bureaucrats. His name is also recorded in the minutes of a corporation board meeting held on 5 March, this year.
Police allege Adhikari used this position to misuse government privileges, including fitting his car with a blue beacon light and displaying his designation on the dashboard. During questioning, Adhikari reportedly told police that he had initially planned to set up the fake police station in West Bengal. The facility was registered under the name of a trust, but state authorities refused permission. An associate then allegedly suggested that such a station could be opened in Noida. Officers say this led Adhikari and his son to leave West Bengal for Uttar Pradesh, where they are accused of establishing the fake station. Noida police have also collected information on non-governmental organisations run by Adhikari in West Bengal and have indicated they may travel to the state soon as part of the investigation.
The West Bengal State Warehousing Corporation and the Trinamul Congress are yet to comment on the allegations.