Close on the heels of the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) bringing charges of non-cooperation and destruction of evidence in the Saradha and other chit fund cases before the Supreme Court, an apparently mellowed Kolkata Commissioner of Police Rajeev Kumar is learnt to have written to the CBI Director offering cooperation but not before alleging prejudice against the investigating officials. He sought the multi-crore scam to be probed by “impartial” officials.
After a prolonged war of nerves between the CBI and Rajeev Kumar known for having the trust of Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, the Kolkata top cop has written to CBI Director seeking an unprejudiced investigation into the scam.
Kumar requested the CBI to appoint an impartial officer who was not part of the team investigating the Sharada case even as the Agency refuted the senior IPS officer’s allegations of prejudice.
Earlier the Agency petitioned the Supreme Court in the wake of Kumar’s repeated failure to respond to the summons issued by the CBI — for questioning. The case was being probed by the central Agency after Calcutta High Court and the Apex Court transferred the case from the Special Investigation Team of the State Police led by Kumar to the CBI in 2014.
Mamata Banerjee Government many of whose Ministers and MPs were allegedly involved in the scam vainly fought a long judicial battle — spending about Rs 11 crore — to prevent the CBI investigation. It also alleged, in an apparent act of intimidation the Kolkata Police even summoned the CBI officials handling the probe to share the details of investigations.
The CBI alleged that despite repeated reminders to Kumar his Department failed to transfer the call details of two most powerful Sharada masterminds Sudipto Sen and Debjani Mukhejee. The investigation had hit road block for want of the stated call details between Sen and Mukherjee and the top politicians whose name had repeatedly appeared in the chit fund fraud.
Bengal had been the hotbed of chit fund fraud since past one decade with a host of companies including Sharada, Rose Valley, Angel, Tower, Sumangal etc together allegedly doing a business in excess of Rs 50,000 crore.
After the name of State ruling party Trinamool Congress got entwined with the chit fund case following allegations of active destruction of evidences by the police the opposition parties moved the judiciary following which the High Court and the Supreme Court directed the probe to be handed over to the CBI rejecting the State Government’s stubborn opposition against the investigation taken off the police hand.
The SIT is allegedly in possession of vital evidences seized soon after the multi-crore scam became public and the Chief Minister who is also the president of the Trinamool Congress ordered a probe to be led by Kumar.