New Delhi, Aug 11 (IANS): The BJP on Thursday accused West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee of patronising criminals like Anubrata Mandal.

West Bengal BJP co-incharge Amit Malviya said that she gives state protection to those who operate crime and extortion syndicates under her watch.

"Mamata Banerjee patronises criminals like Anubroto Mondal. As Chief Minister and Home Minister of West Bengal, she gives state protection to those who operate crime and extortion syndicates under her watch. Partha Chaterjee or Anubroto Mondal, the buck stops at Mamata Banerjee," Malviya said quoting his old tweet.

On March 26, sharing a picture Malviya had said, "What message is Bengal's Home Minister giving by having Birbhum's local goonda Anubroto Mondal in her car, under whose instruction Anarul Hossain operated, now arrested for the Rampurhat massacre? This picture explains how criminalisation of WB politics starts right from the top."

After Anubrata Mandal was arrested by the CBI this morning, West Bengal BJP president Dr Sukanta Majumdar tweeted: "CM @MamataOfficial has turned blind eye to cattle smuggling. Slowly slowly, culprits in such heinous crimes are being arrested. Anubrato Mondal is the same person who threatened that past incidents of murders like in 2011,14,16 and 19 will be repeated again."

The CBI officials reached Mandal's Bolpur residence around 9.50 a.m. escorted by a huge contingent of central armed forces personnel. After a little over an hour of questioning, they arrested him in connection with the cattle smuggling scam. The arrest was made after the Trinamool Congress strongman ducked the central agency summons for ten consecutive times.