BJP leader arrested from Nepal border for child smuggling racket

A 10-member CID team arrested Juhi Choudhury late on Tuesday night from a place near the India-Nepal border. She is one of the three accused in a child smuggling racket who had been absconding. Choudhury, a leader of BJP Mahila Morcha (women’s wing), has been named in the FIR by the CID. After receiving “specific information”, the team raided a place under Kharibari police station in Siliguri.

Juhi Choudhury arrested

It is still not clear if Juhi was in a hideout or trying to cross over to Nepal. The cops were making arrangements to bring her to Siliguri town.

The development comes on aday when retired government school principal and NGO owner Chandana Chakraborty -a prime accused in the case -accused Choudhury of running the racket. On being questioned by CID, Chakraborty alleged Choudhury was in touch with two senior BJP functionaries in Delhi. Earlier, Chakraborty had made repeated references to at least three Trinamool leaders in Jalpaiguri for conspiring to defame her.

Earlier, Chakraborty told CID that she had gone to Delhi with Choudhury to meet “a Union minister” to lobby for a Rs 22.5-lakh central grant usually set aside for NGOs. The NGO she runs, CID said, was starved of funds. Earlier, her NGO was under state scanner too. Sources said 14 children were then shifted out of her NGO to a state-run home. Following this, Chakraborty also came under pressure from her foreign donors. “Juhi is involved here. I went to seek help from her. She assured me of all help. Yet, I am being made a pawn in this political game. I have been in touch with only Juhi. I was in another room (in the hotel) when she might have spoken to two leaders (a top woman BJP functionary of Bengal and a BJP leader who oversees the party’s affairs in the state),” she claimed before reporters while being taken to Pintaail village on the outskirts of Siliguri for further investigation.

Dilip Ghosh

BJP state president Dilip Ghosh claimed Choudhury was being victimized as part of a larger political conspiracy. “Juhi was not a part of their (child adoption centre) committee. She has been dragged into the case as she went to Delhi with her (Chakraborty)…If Juhi is found guilty, the law will take its course,” Ghosh said. The BJP leader said he won’t permit his party workers to go to jail for no real reason. Chakraborty had earlier alleged that Trinamool leaders, too, were involved.

 

Source: Times of India