Bhubaneswar, July 2 : Odisha's former MLA Nabin Nanda was arrested during a raid at a Kolkata spa where a sex racket was being run, informed sources said on Monday.

The ruling Biju Janata Dal (BJD) has since suspended the former Dhenkanal legislator from the party.

Nabin's lawyer Asim Kumar confirmed that Nanda was arrested on Saturday evening from the spa on Park Street under the Immoral Trafficking Act and was bailed out on Sunday.

As many as 18 persons, including nine sex workers, were arrested from the spa.

Nabin rubbished any connection with the sex racket and claimed he was detained after he entered the spa during an attempt to chase a pickpocket.

"The allegations regarding involvement in the sex racket and what has been propagated is completely fabricated. I was out for shopping around 7 p.m. on Saturday when my pocket was picked. I chased the miscreants and entered the spa and was caught by a police team that mistook me to be a client," said the former MLA.

Let the Truth be known. If you read VB and like VB, please be a VB Supporter and Help us deliver the Truth to one and all.



Bengaluru: Karnataka Governor Thawar Chand Gehlot has written to the state government, asking for the submission of the Kempanna Commission report and relevant documents related to the alleged illegal denotification of Arkavati Layout land during Siddaramaiah's tenure as Chief Minister.

The case dates back to 2013-18, when Siddaramaiah allegedly denotified 540 acres of land, acquired by the Bengaluru Development Authority, under the guise of 'Redo.' The accusation was raised by then-opposition leader Jagadish Shettar during an assembly session, leading to a clash between the government and opposition.

In response to the allegations, a commission led by Justice H.S. Kempanna was set up in August 2014 to investigate the denotification of 983 acres of land between 2004 and 2014. The Kempanna Commission submitted a 1,861-page report in August 2017 to the then Chief Secretary Subhash Chandra Kunthiari, which was later discussed in a cabinet meeting.

Siddaramaiah had claimed that the report cleared him of any wrongdoing. The succeeding BJP government did not pursue the matter further. However, Governor Gehlot's recent letter to Chief Secretary Shalini Rajneesh has reignited political discussions. The Bengaluru Urban Development Department submitted the report on September 11 to Deputy Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar.