Mofakkarul Islam, the mastermind behind the harassment of judicial adjudication officers in West Bengal’s Malda district, was apprehended at Bagdogra airport in Darjeeling district while attempting to flee the state. An advocate associated with AIMIM, Islam faced an arrest warrant issued by the Supreme Court on Thursday, leading to a search by the police. He had been untraceable since then and is a practicing lawyer in Raiganj District Court and Calcutta High Court.
Islam, a resident of North Dinajpur district, has been living in Kolkata with his family and contested in the 2021 Assembly elections as an AIMIM candidate from the Itahar seat but was defeated. Identified as the person addressing the mob during the incident, he was arrested following the issuance of the warrant. His arrest brings the total number of apprehensions in the case to 19, including Maulana Shahjahan Ali, an AISF candidate.
The hostage situation involved seven judicial officers, including three women, held captive by voters in Kaliachak, Malda district, due to discrepancies in the adjudication process. Police intervened after nine hours, rescuing the officers and preventing a potential attack during their transfer to safety.
