Kolkata: Trinamool Congress councillor Sushanta Ghosh and four others have been booked on charges of forgery and cheating in connection with the sale of a footpath stall here for Rs 3.5 lakh, police said on Friday.
A police officer said the FIR was lodged based on a complaint filed at the Anandapur Police Station by a local of Kasba in the southern parts of Kolkata, he said.
According to the FIR, the complainant was looking for a shop to start a business in November 2022, when Ghosh and his associates allegedly promised to arrange a seven-foot stall on a footpath on Anandapur Road near Ruby Crossing, the officer said.
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The accused allegedly provided the complainant with a "forged" municipal licence and made him pay Rs 3.5 lakh for the proposed stall.
"After receiving the money, the accused allegedly changed their stand. Instead of providing the promised stall, they forced the complainant to accept a smaller four-foot structure," the FIR stated.
The complainant has also said that the structure was being used by the Ruby Market Committee as an ambulance room and did not possess any valid government licence.
"We have received a written complaint and registered an FIR. The allegations are being examined, and all aspects of the case will be investigated as per the law," the police officer said. "The allegations include cheating, criminal intimidation and forgery."
The complainant alleged that he had remained silent for years due to fear of the councillor and his associates.
Ghosh is absconding in connection with another case registered against him at the Anandapur Police Station.
On May 29, members of a hawkers' association operating near the EM Bypass-Ruby crossing lodged a complaint with the police, accusing the councillor of "extorting" Rs 3 lakh to Rs 4 lakh for permission to set up stalls along a footpath stretch in the area.
The complainants claimed that nearly Rs 3 crore was collected from hawkers in this manner and sought police intervention into the matter.
