In what could dampen the spirits of Bengal Opposition parties, names of no ‘big fish’ appeared in the second chargesheet filed by the CBI team probing the Saradha multi-crore chit fund case, sources said.
The second chargesheet filed on Monday had six names, including those of the prime accused and Saradha boss Sudipto Sen and second in command Debjani Mukherjee. The new inclusions in the chargesheet were jailed Trinamool leader and former Bengal DGP Rajat Majumdar, East Bengal Club boss Debabrata Sarkar, father-and-son businessmen Sajjan and Sandhir Aggarwal, who reportedly acted as the prime link between Sen and the Sebi authorities, CBI sources said.
Curiously, the name of suspended Trinamool Congress MP Kunal Ghosh, who was included in the first chargesheet, did not find a mention in the second chargesheet, sources said. All but one person named in the chargesheet are currently in jail.
The accused were charged under Sections 420, 409 and 120B of the Indian penal Code sources said. The first chargesheet was filed on October 22. Five Saradha companies — Saradha Tours and Travels, Saradha gardens, Saradha Realty, Saradha Constructions and Strategic Media Company owned by Kunal Ghosh — were named in the first chargesheet.
On what the political parties expected of the CBI, CPI(M)’s Sujan Chakrabarty said, “I still have faith in the central agencies. let us see what they do,” while Congress leader Abdul Mannan said any attempt to protect any influential people would not be tolerated. BJP’s central observer for Bengal Siddharth Nath Singh said, “About 17 lakh people have lost their savings to the chit funds and hence, no one howsoever high and mighty one is will be spared.”
Meanwhile, expelled TMC leader Asif Khan on Monday made yet another explosive statement alleging “most of the scam money are currently in the possession of the followers of Bandit Queen.” When asked as to whom he called Bandit Queen he said “you know better than I do.”
Khan currently in the custody of Bengal Police in two cases of fraud was on Monday taken to Uttar Pradesh for investigation into Rs20-crore fraud case.
On who he meant by “the followers” of Bandit Queen he said, “senior-most TMC leaders who were gifted flats” in UP by the Saradha chief. The stated flat had currently been seized by the investigating agencies.