Kolkata, Feb 22 (PTI) One person was arrested and four detained on Saturday in connection with the extortion threat to senior TMC leader and chairman of English Bazar Municipality Krishnendu Narayan Chowdhury, police said.

Chowdhury, a senior leader of the TMC in West Bengal's Malda district, had alleged that he received a call from a person identifying himself as a member of the 'D Company,' demanding Rs 20 lakh or else face death.

Also Read | Karnataka Gang Rape Probe: Mother of 4 Endures Brutal Sexual and Physical Overnight Assault, Reveal Police Investigation.

A senior police officer said Sahdat Sheikh, a resident of Kamlabari locality in Englishbazar, was arrested after police tracked his mobile and confirmed that he had made the call to Chowdhury impersonating as a member of the D company.

Four more were detained in connection with the incident, one of them being a resident of Bihar, police added.

Also Read | Mumbai Fire: Massive Blaze Erupts at 5-Storey Residential Building in Marine Lines; No Injuries Reported (Watch Videos).

"Sheikh, a middleman dealing with properties, wanted to extort a huge amount of money from Chowdhury by using the name of D company," the official added.

"I got the phone call around 10.40 am on Friday. A WhatsApp message was sent to my number at 6:51 pm that evening. I am not afraid of attempts on my life. People will take care of my safety. However, I informed police about it," Chowdhury had said earlier.

The threat to Chowdhury comes over a month after English Bazar Municipality's TMC councillor Dulal Sarkar was shot dead on January 2.

On February 2, TMC MLA from the district, Sabitri Mitra, claimed there was an attempt on her life after the driver of her car barely managed to avoid a collision with an unidentified vehicle twice in quick succession.

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)