Indian police have arrested a fugitive politician accused of land grabs and sexual harassment after a manhunt lasting nearly two months.
Sheikh Shahjahan, a leader in the Trinamool Congress party that rules the eastern state of West Bengal, has been on the run since January 5 when Enforcement Directorate officers tried to raid his residence but were attacked by his supporters.
“We have arrested Sheikh Shahjahan, one of the prime accused in the attack on ED officials during a raid on January 5, 2024, [in the] Minakhan area yesterday night,” Supratim Sarkar, a senior police officer, said on Thursday.
He was sent to police custody for 10 days by a local court.
Mr Shahjahan, 45, and his two aides, Shiba Prasad Hazra and Uttam Sardar, are accused in a number of cases of land grabbing and sexual harassment of women in their hometown of Sandeshkhali in the state's North 24 Parganas district.
Mr Shahjahan was born into an impoverished family and worked as a driver in his early 20s. He often helped trekkers in the Sandeshkhali to earn extra money before he joined the Trinamool Congress in 2013, according to reports in local media.
Known for his oratory skills and impassioned speeches, he rose quickly in the party and was put in charge of fisheries in the district's development department.
He also played a key role in curbing child trafficking and helping the poor, earning him the image of a modern-day Robin Hood, the reports said.
But he is accused in several criminal cases, including the killing of three members of the opposition Bharatiya Janata Party in 2019.
He wields such an influence on the people in the region that the ED officials were attacked by a mob of nearly 1,000 people. He allegedly whipped up the mob for the attack from his home, using a phone.
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The smuggler
Eldarir had arrived at JFK in January 2020 with three suitcases, containing goods he valued at $300, when he was directed to a search area.
Officers found 41 gold artefacts among the bags, including amulets from a funerary set which prepared the deceased for the afterlife.
Also found was a cartouche of a Ptolemaic king on a relief that was originally part of a royal building or temple.
The largest single group of items found in Eldarir’s cases were 400 shabtis, or figurines.
Khouli conviction
Khouli smuggled items into the US by making false declarations to customs about the country of origin and value of the items.
According to Immigration and Customs Enforcement, he provided “false provenances which stated that [two] Egyptian antiquities were part of a collection assembled by Khouli's father in Israel in the 1960s” when in fact “Khouli acquired the Egyptian antiquities from other dealers”.
He was sentenced to one year of probation, six months of home confinement and 200 hours of community service in 2012 after admitting buying and smuggling Egyptian antiquities, including coffins, funerary boats and limestone figures.
For sale
A number of other items said to come from the collection of Ezeldeen Taha Eldarir are currently or recently for sale.
Their provenance is described in near identical terms as the British Museum shabti: bought from Salahaddin Sirmali, "authenticated and appraised" by Hossen Rashed, then imported to the US in 1948.
- An Egyptian Mummy mask dating from 700BC-30BC, is on offer for £11,807 ($15,275) online by a seller in Mexico
- A coffin lid dating back to 664BC-332BC was offered for sale by a Colorado-based art dealer, with a starting price of $65,000
- A shabti that was on sale through a Chicago-based coin dealer, dating from 1567BC-1085BC, is up for $1,950
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