The Central Bureau of Investigation on Thursday arrested senior Indian Police Service officer SMH Mirza in connection with the Narada sting case, PTI reported.

This is the first arrest in connection with the 2016 sting operation by Narada News Chief Executive Mathew Samuel in which several Trinamool leaders were allegedly seen accepting cash in return for favours. The videos were released ahead of the state Assembly elections.

Mirza was brought to a special court in Kolkata after a medical examination, according to Hindustan Times. He was the superintendent of police of Burdwan district when the sting was conducted and was allegedly seen in the videos accepting cash from a businessman on behalf of political leaders.

Bharatiya Janata Party’s National Secretary Rahul Sinha lauded the investigating agency. “People will now want to know who would be held next,” he said. Communist Party of India (Marxist) leader Sujan Chakraborty said the arrest was “delayed but correct step”.

On August 29, the CBI sought Lok Sabha Speaker Om Prakash Birla’s sanction to prosecute Trinamool Congress MPs Saugata Roy, Kakoli Ghosh and Prasun Banerjee along with state transport minister Suvendu Adhikari. If the sanction is granted, the investigating agency may name the four politicians in its chargesheet.

Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has alleged that the sting operation was a conspiracy hatched against her government and party members before the elections. In June 2017, she ordered a police inquiry into the case.

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