Rajeev Kumar seeks a week time to appear
Former Kolkata Police Commissioner Rajeev Kumar is on official leave to Varanasi for three days and will not be able to appear for questioning in connection with the Saradha Ponzi scheme, according the letter by the West Bengal Criminal Investigation Department (CID) to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI). A CID official delivered Kumar’s letter to the CBI’s office at Salt Lake in Kolkata on Monday.
Citing personal reasons, Kumar has sought a week’s time to appear before the CBI for questioning in the case.
“The CBI was awaiting Kumar’s presence at the agency’s Kolkata office but he did not turn up (on Monday). The CBI office in Kolkata received a letter from the West Bengal CID regarding his absence,” sources said, adding several calls to the West Bengal cadre IPS officer went unanswered.
The West Bengal Government reinstated Kumar as the Additional Director General of CID by the West Bengal Government on Sunday night, soon after the election Model Code of Conduct was lifted.
The CBI had on Sunday summoned Kumar after a team of the investigating agency failed to meet him at his residence in connection with the Saradha scam probe.
On Saturday, the CBI had also issued a Lookout Notice against Kumar to prevent him from fleeing the country.
The agency wants custodial interrogation of Kumar in connection with the scam as he was heading the police’s special investigation team to probe the Ponzi scam before the CBI took over the case.
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 queries put to him during questioning.
On May 17, the SC lifted the protection from arrest granted to Kumar and asked the CBI to proceed as per law. The apex court gave one week to Kumar to approach the competent court for anticipatory bail.
Kumar again approached the top court last Monday, seeking extension of the protection saying the courts in West Bengal were not functioning due to lawyers’ strike. The SC, however, rejected his plea following which he moved an anticipatory bail plea in the Barasat court.
The Saradha group of companies allegedly duped Rs 2,500 crore from lakh of gullible customers who were promised higher rates of returns on their investment, the sources added.