Tripura Police has finally nabbed former minister Badal Choudhury – but he is said to be unconscious.
They arrested him after Choudhury was tracked down to the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) of Agartala’s ILS hospital.
The former CPI(M) minister, said to be critically ill, was admitted to the hospital after his wife brought him there on Monday night.
ILS hospital management said CT-Scan, X-Ray and other tests have been done on Choudhury, but he remains unconscious.
SP (Crime Branch) Kuldeep Singh told mediapersons that Badal Choudhury has been arrested by police.
Singh said the next course of action will depend after consultations with doctors and government lawyers.
Also read: Former Tripura PWD minister Badal Choudhury booked on graft charge
Badal Choudhury’s lawyers rushed to the ILS hospital around 2 am past midnight after hearing of his arrest but were reportedly stopped from entering it.
Badal Choudhury has undergone cardiac bypass surgery twice.
Former chief minister Manik Sarkar and CPI-M State Secretary Gautam Das also reached the hospital last night soon after Choudhury’s admission there.
Manik Sarkar told mediapersons Badal Choudhury’s condition was serious and his blood pressure was running high.
An FIR was lodged against Badal Choudhury on October 13 night over a PWD scam.
Choudhury received interim bail the next day but on October 16 Badal Choudhury’s bail plea was rejected in the District Court.
Since then, police have been on a frantic hunt to track him down.
Nine government officials including top police officers have been suspended or transferred because of failure to arrest Badal Choudhury.
Also read: Tripura police officers face the heat for failing to arrest former minister Badal Choudhury
A bail petition of Badal Choudhury was heard by Tripura High Court single bench on Monday but the verdict has been kept in abeyance by Justice Arindam Lodh.
