Kolkata, June 24: One person was arrested in West Bengal's Purulia district on Sunday for his alleged involvement in the killing of local BJP activist Trilochan Mahato, a senior CID officer said. "Punjabi Mahato, 45, a resident of Supurdi Nich basti in Purulia's Balarampur, was arrested on Sunday after prolonged interrogation on the basis of the case registered by the deceased's father," Deputy Inspector General, CID, Nishad Parvez said in a release.

"Two mobile phones and two SIM cards were seized from the house of the accused and have been sent for forensic examination. He will be produced in court on Monday with a prayer for police custody," the officer said. The body of 20-year-old Trilochan Mahato was found hanging from a tree in at the Khudigora jungle, a km away from his village in Balarampur area on May 30, with a message inscribed on the back of his T-shirt accusing him of supporting the BJP.

A poster found nearby claimed the youth had to die for his affinity for the saffron party. The deceased who was missing since May 29, was allegedly hanged using his own cloths. Three days after Mahato's death, the body of 32-year-old Dulal Kumar, also claimed to be a BJP activist, was found hanging from a high-tension tower in Dabha village in the same district.

The BJP leadership accused Bengal's ruling Trinamool Congress for both the killings and moved to the Supreme Court seeking a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) probe into the matter. However, they were asked to approach the Calcutta High Court. The BJP accused the Trinamool and the local police was acting together with the miscreants to cover up the murders

The Trinamool has, however, denied its involvement in either of the incidents. The state government has handed over the probe to the CID. BJP President Amit Shah, who condemned both the killings on social media, is scheduled to meet the families of the two deceased during his visit to Bengal towards the end of June.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Jun 24, 2018 07:50 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).