One person was arrested for trying to shoot Trinamool Congress councillor Sushanta Ghosh in Kolkata on Friday, sources said.
The incident occurred around 8:10 pm when two men came on a scooter and the pillion rider got off the vehicle and approached Ghosh, who was sitting in a chair at his residence in the Kasba area.
The man wielded a revolver, came very close to Ghosh and tried to shoot him twice at point-blank range. However, the revolver malfunctioned and the shots could not be fired.
Seeing their plans fail, the two men tried to escape the scene. However, Ghosh’s neighbours and a few Trinamool Congress supporters chased them and caught hold of the man who tried to shoot Ghosh. The other accused managed to escape on his scooter.
Ghosh, who is the Trinamool Congress councillor from Kolkata’s Ward No 108, called the police, who reached the spot and arrested the accused. One revolver and two magazines were recovered from his possession, sources said.
According to sources, the accused is a resident of Uttar Pradesh and was questioned by police.
During interrogation, the accused told the police that a man named Muhammad Iqbal hired him to kill Ghosh. He said he was shown a photo of the Trinamool Congress leader and instructed to shoot him
Police have registered a case and have launched further investigation into the matter. They are also conducting searches at various places to nab the other accused.