Egra civic body chief arrested in multi-crore land scam case
Times of India | 4 January 2026
Egra: The chairman of Egra Municipality in East Midnapore, Swapan Nayek, was arrested on Friday night in connection with a multi-crore govt land scam. Nayek, who recently made headlines by openly defying the Trinamool Congress leadership, has been remanded to five-day police custody by a Contai sub-divisional court.
The arrest followed a complaint lodged against Nayek on Dec 20 by the Block Land and Land Reforms Officer (BLRO) of Egra-I. According to the FIR, Nayek allegedly misused his official position to transfer premium govt land to private individuals at throwaway prices.
Superintendent of Police Mitun Kumar De said, "The arrest was made based on specific evidence. We need to take him into custody to unearth the full extent of the scam and identify other beneficiaries."
In Nov, the Trinamool top brass instructed the chairpersons of both Tamluk and Egra municipalities to resign. While the Tamluk leadership complied immediately, Nayek refused to step down.
Recently, six Trinamool councillors moved a no-confidence motion against him, but Nayek reportedly managed to stall the proceedings, further irking both the party and the administration.
Interestingly, Nayek found an ally in Bengal opposition leader Suvendu Adhikari. "We are with him. He is being browbeaten by police for only doing the right thing and speaking out against Trinamool. We will offer him legal help," Adhikari said.