Kolkata: Three BJP workers were arrested on Friday for allegedly vandalising a restaurant-cum-guest house at Deganga in North 24-Parganas, looting cash and assaulting employees over a refusal to pay extortion money. The accused, however, claimed they had raided the establishment to shut down an alleged prostitution racket.The arrested persons — Ankush Kahar, Subrata Ghosh and Bijoy Biswas — were identified through CCTV footage, police said. A Barasat court remanded them in police custody for five days.According to the establishment’s management, BJP workers had visited it three days earlier, threatening to implicate it in a false honey-trap case and demanding money. When the demand was refused, they allegedly ransacked the premises and assaulted employees. A similar incident had reportedly occurred a fortnight earlier, following which the owners lodged a police complaint.The Nov 4 attack took place at Eco Cafe, which houses Lake Palace guest house on its upper floors. Police said they were investigating whether more persons were involved and would also probe allegations of a prostitution racket.
