Former IPS officer Bharati Ghosh joins BJP

New Delhi, Feb 4: Former IPS officer Bharati Ghosh Monday joined Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in presence of Union Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad and BJP leaders Kailash Vijayvargiya and Mukul Roy.

Retired IPS officer Bharati Ghosh was once believed to be close to West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee. Ghosh is at present under the scanner of the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) for extortion and criminal conspiracy while her husband Raju is in custody.

Ghosh, once declared an absconder by CID in a cheating and extortion case, adaccused the TMC government of initiating a "witch hunt" against her because she "refused to do its bidding'', which included ensuring that BJP's vote share in Midnapore-Jhargram area does not increase.

A person had complained that some police personnel had forcefully taken money from himin 2017 following which the CID was issued directives by a court to conduct raids at the residences of Ghosh and her associates named accused in the case.

Ghosh, who was the West Midnapore SP, had resigned from service after she was transferred to a less significant post - the commandant of the third battalion of the state armed police - in December 2017.

(With PTI inputs)