Jyotipriya Mallick, a former food minister, was arrested by ED on October 27 (File)
Arrested West Bengal minister Jyotipriya Mallick was on Monday night discharged from a private hospital after doctors found him fit and was immediately taken into custody by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) which had arrested him last week for his alleged involvement in the ration distribution scam.
After 66-year-old Jyotipriya Mallick came out of the hospital, he was escorted by his daughter and elder brother and two ED officers to the central probe agency's city office at the CGO Complex in Salt Lake amid tight police security.
"The minister is fine. There is no need for him to be in the hospital. He is fit for discharge. He needs to take some prescribed medicine," an official of the hospital told PTI.
An ED officer said that the agency was informed by the hospital authorities about Jyotipriya Mallick being fit.
Jyotipriya Mallick, a former food minister, was arrested by the ED in the early hours of October 27 in a money laundering case linked to an alleged ration distribution scam fainted inside a courtroom when he was produced before it. He was then taken to the hospital.
The ED officer said a copy of Jyotipriya Mallick's medical report has been submitted to the central probe agency.
The minister, who had complained of dizziness, nausea, vomiting, and weakness in the left arm, has been remanded to ED custody till November 6 by a local court.
Meanwhile, the ED has seized more than 20 mobile phones including that of the arrested minister in connection with the investigation into the matter, an officer said.
"We will check call details, messages, and WhatsApp chats from these mobile devices," he said.
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