Bhubaneswar, May 27: The Special Task Force (STF) of the West Bengal Police on Wednesday detained absconding Trinamool Congress MLA Dilip Mondal from a hotel in Puri, Odisha, in connection with a criminal case registered against him in West Bengal.

Mondal, who represents the Bishnupur Assembly constituency in South 24 Parganas district, was reportedly traced to a hotel in Puri after an intensive search operation carried out by the STF and Diamond Harbour Police. Police sources said he is currently being taken to Kolkata on transit remand.

The development comes days after a purported video of the MLA went viral on social media. Though the authenticity of the video could not be independently verified, it allegedly showed Mondal threatening workers and supporters of another political party. Following the circulation of the video, a complaint was lodged against him at a police station in West Bengal.

Based on the allegations, police registered a case under non-bailable sections and launched an investigation. A raid was conducted at Mondal’s residence in Pailan area of South 24 Parganas district on May 14, but he was not found there.

According to local sources, the MLA allegedly fled after receiving information about the police raid and had been absconding since then. Police later gathered intelligence suggesting that he was staying at a hotel in Puri. Acting on the tip-off, the STF team reached the hotel, verified his identity through the guest register, and detained him from his room.

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