But trouble brews for TMC as Majumdar begins to open up
With former State DGP and Trinamool Congress leader Rajat Majumdar now under CBI custody reportedly beginning to buckle under pressure the can of worms seem just to have opened for the ruling Trinamool Congress.
According to sources, Majumdar who had earlier vouched in the open court for not speaking a word against Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and former Railway Minister Mukul Roy, has reportedly told his quizzers that a substantial amount of the chit fund amount sucked in by the Saradha group was routed to the top leadership through a former Trinamool MP who is also a very successful businessman.
Though the CBI sources would not name the “former MP and the successful businessman” it has been learnt by The Pioneer that the stated person has huge stakes in shipping business particularly in cargo handling operations in Kolkata and Haldia ports.
The stated “former MP” received a huge amount of Saradha funds from Sudipto Sen, the former DGP has reportedly told the CBI adding much of the looted funds found its way to the topmost echelon of the ruling Trinamool Congress.
“Though he was stiff for the past a few days it seems he has just begun to open up,” CBI sources said, adding Majumdar has conceded that crores of rupees raised from the market in Jangalmahal area were transported to the Saradha head office at Salt lake in ambulances donated by the ponzi group to the State Government.
Incidentally, these ambulances were inaugurated by the Chief Minister in front of Sen and Kunal Ghosh soon after coming to power.
While the ambulances performed medical services during the day time giving the new Government good name they were used for ferrying crores of rupees during the night to avoid public glare, the CBI has learnt after grilling Majumdar.
The CBI might summon the former MP in the next week, sources said. Incidentally, The Pioneer had earlier reported about a multi-crore cargo handling scam in Kolkata and Haldia ports in which the name of company owned by the stated MP had cropped up.
The CBI sources have also come to know that the Saradha scam earlier estimated to be involving Rs2,500 crores could surpass Rs10,000 crores “much of which amount has been siphoned off to foreign countries using the Hawala route.”
The CBI had also grilled the four senior most accountants — Ranjit lal, Ajitesh Banerjee, Sudip Ghoshdastidar and Kaushik Pahari — who handled the four Finance wings of the ponzi company. Ghoshdastidar who ran the “Safari software” of Saradha group had reportedly given some crucial details to the investigators, sources said.
On the other hand, lal, the other accountant, had also told the central agency as to how the senior Bengal Police officers heading the Special Investigation Team that probed the multi-crore scam before the CBI had taken away some secret documents related to Saradha deals without giving any receipt.
“He had given his statements in writing both to the ED and the CBI about how a number of documents were taken away by the SIT officers without any receipt being given thereof,” sources said. “Such an action by the police can invite charges of extortion and criminal intimidation under the IPC,” said a senior High Court advocate.
Meanwhile, Trinamool all-India general secretary Mukul Roy on Monday iterated that he would quit politics if his party’s links with the Saradha scam could be established.
“We (TMC) are neither thieves nor frauds. If our party’s involvement is proved under any circumstances, I will quit politics,” Roy said wondering whether the birth of Saradha group was a crime induced by Mamata Banerjee. “Is Saradha Mamata Banerjee’s crimeIJ No. If she had not tried to curb Sudipto Sen then would he have been arrestedIJ” he asked alleging the political opposition was “using the CBI to tarnish the image of the Trinamool Congress.”
“The Trinamool workers would hit the streets from September 19 to 22 to protest against the canard being spread against the party and its leaders,” Partho Chatterjee and senior Trinamool leader said.