Fugitive TMC MLA Dilip Mandal Nabbed in Puri Hotel Raid

In a coordinated late-night operation, West Bengal’s Special Task Force and local Diamond Harbour officers stormed a seaside hotel in Puri and detained absconding legislator Dilip Mandal. The MLA had evaded arrest since mid-May when police raided his home following a complaint that he had issued threats captured in a viral video. Despite initial uncertainty about the footage’s authenticity, authorities registered a case and intensified the manhunt after his son and several aides were apprehended with weapons near the Sundarbans. Acting on specific intelligence, officers cross-checked hotel records and confirmed Mandal’s presence before detaining him without resistance. He will now be produced before a Kolkata court under transit remand provisions. The development marks a significant breakthrough for investigators probing allegations of intimidation and attempts to disturb communal harmony in the Bishnupur area.