Jharkhand High court advocate popularly known as PIL man Rajiv Kumar was brought to Ranchi by the Enforcement Directorate on Sunday for his questioning in an extortion case.
After the special court of Kumkum Singha of Bankshall Street in Kolkata allowed ED to take Singh to Ranchi, he was brought to Capital via road under high security cover. After reaching Ranchi, he was taken to Sadar hospital for medical check-up after he was taken to the zonal office of the ED at Airport Road.
Sources said that the ED question Rajiv Kumar for around one and a half hours as the lawyer appeared physically and mentally extremely exhausted. ED officials allowed him to rest for some time after he requested this. He also requested ED to give him some food and medicines. He said that he was badly abused and tortured by Bengal police in the custody.
Earlier, the Enforcement Directorate on Thursday secured an 8-day remand of advocate Rajiv Kumar, who is currently lodged at Alipur Jail in Bengal after being arrested by Kolkata police on July 31 along with Rs 50 lakh cash from his possession, on the charges of blackmailing a Kolkata-based businessman Amit Agrawal after filing a PIL against him in Jharkhand High Court. The special PMLA court of Prabhat Kumar Sharma of Ranchi civil court granted police custody of Rajiv Kumar to ED, effective from August 20.
Kumar was produced before the PMLA court through video conferencing. The ED submitted before the special PMLA court that the agency has taken up a case for an investigation related to the seizure of Rs 50 lakh from the possession of Rajiv Kumar in which his police remand will be required.
The FIR was originally lodged by the Kolkata police at Hare Street police station. The ED informed the court that the agency lodged an ECIR in Ranchi and Rajiv Kumar is the accused in this case.
Kolkata police arrested him on July 31 on the charge of extorting money from a Kolkata-based businessman Amit Agrawal for giving him relief in a PIL related to allegations against Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren. The PIL 4290/21 was filed by Shiv Shankar Sharma at Jharkhand High Court and Rajiv Kumar was the advocate. Kolkata police stated that Rajiv Kumar was arrested along with Rs 50 Lakh cash which he had extorted from Amit Agrawal. Notably, the ED took up this case for investigation and lodged an ECIR in Ranchi.
ED asked whether he knew Amit Agrawal and who was the link between him and Amit Agrawal. The ED asked how he reached Kolkata including who arranged his travel to Kolkata and what was the purpose of his visit.