Man Who Sneaked Into Mamata Banerjee's House Says He Thought It Was Kolkata Police HQ

The man had scaled a boundary wall of Mamata Banerjee's residence at 34B Harish Chatterjee Street in Kalighat area around 1.20 am on Sunday.

Chief Minister of West Bengal Mamata Banerjee

Source : Getty Images

The person who sneaked into West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee's residence in Kolkata on Sunday told cops that he thought it to be the Kolkata Police headquarters, PTI reported. The man had scaled a boundary wall of Banerjee's residence at 34B Harish Chatterjee Street in Kalighat area around 1.20 am on Sunday. He was arrested after security personnel spotted him on Monday morning and handed over to police.

However, the man, who hails from Hashnabad in West Bengal's North 24 Parganas district, could not give reasons why he needed to go to the Kolkata Police headquarters in the middle of the night.

"During initial grilling the man said he mistook the CM's residence to be Lalbazar Kolkata Police headquarters and entered the premises. But he could not give any proper reply when asked about why he wanted to go to the police headquarters at that hour," a police official told PTI.

READ | Man Held For 'Sneaking' Into Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee's Residence, Security Stepped Up

During questioning, the man first claimed to be a fruit seller and then a "good" vehicle driver. Police said the man seemed to be "somewhat mentally unstable".

Police have booked the man under IPC section 458 and he has been sent to police custody till July 11, PTI reported. IPC 458 deals with lurking, trespass or house-breaking by night after preparation for hurt, assault or wrongful restraint.

With the incident triggering a security scare, senior government officers met at the state secretariat on Monday and reviewed Banerjee's security arrangements.

Questions were raised about how the man evaded the Z-plus security cover and entered Mamata's private residence premises to spend a night there without anyone noticing him. Police have taken immediate steps to enhance security in and around the CM's residence.