Former Commissioner of Kolkata Police Rajeev Kumar on Friday appeared before the CBI in connection with the multi-crore Saradha chit fund scam.
Kumar, who is presently the Additional Director General of police in the Crime Investigation Department (CID), reached the agency’s office in the morning to face questioning by the CBI sleuths, for the first time after the Supreme Court last month lifted the protection granted to him from any coercive action by the investigative body.
However, Kumar had been interrogated in February by the CBI officials in Shillong under directions of the Supreme Court which had asked him to cooperate with the probe agency.
The senior police officer was heading the Special Investigation Team (SIT) of West Bengal Police before the Central Bureau of Investigation took over the case into the Saradha scam in which thousands of gullible small investors were duped under the lure promising returns from the investments.
The CBI had in May issued a look out notice against Kumar and directed all airports and immigration authorities to alert it if they spot him in order to prevent him from fleeing the country.
Kumar had earlier evaded questioning by the CBI after the SC lifted the protection from arrest last month and moved the Calcutta High Court seeking quashing of the CBI notice against him.
The Calcutta HC granted him protection from coercive action till July 10 but asked the IPS officer to cooperate with the CBI in the probe.
In April, the CBI had told the Supreme Court that Kumar’s custodial interrogation was necessary as he was not cooperating in the
probe and was “evasive” and “arrogant” in answering the questions posed to him during grilling.