Kosamba police Inspector N K Swami said that Tarsadi resident Jesal Sakurbhai Rathod had filed a complaint of land grabbing and cheating against Shah and two others. “Rathod had alleged that Paresh Shah forged his father Sakur Rathod’s signature on land documents and sold the same to another person. Shah was absconding… he arrived to vote at the election of KMCB and was arrested. The other two accused are yet to be arrested,” Swami added.

Two-and-a-half years ago, candidates supported by the BJP had won the KMCB elections, taking away power from a team backed by the Congress. While Bharatsinh Gohil was made the chairman, Jayentibhai Parmar was elected as vice-chairman, Paresh Shah as managing director and Dalpat Rathod as joint managing director. The polls were won under the leadership of Rakeshsinh Solanki, Devendra Chauhan and Mukund Patel, all supporters of Mangrol BJP MLA Ganpat Vasava.

During the elections for a new body organised on Sunday at the bank headquarter, Surat district BJP president Bharat Rathod sent party secretaries Raju Patel and Kishan Patel with a list containing names of the new members backed by the BJP. However, six members of the Solanki camp walked out without voting. The remaining ones, as well as Shah, voted as per the BJP mandate and elected Bharatsinh Gohil as chairman, Jayenti Parmar as vice-chairman, Sunil Tailor as managing director and Dalpat Rabari as joint managing director. Later, the police arrested Shah.

When contacted, Bharat Rathod said: “A group of elected board of directors opposed the BJP mandate and walked out. Others followed the party mandate.”

This comes in the backdrop of a reported cold war between Surat’s Choryasi BJP MLA Sandeep Desai and Mangrol MLA Ganpat Vasava.

Last August, Desai had filed a complaint against Solanki and two other close associates of Vasava, accusing them of defaming state BJP president C R Paatil. Three persons were arrested in the case, including Solanki, and later released on bail.