PATNA: A team of Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on Tuesday quizzed former chief minister
Rabri Devi for at least an hour at her official bungalow on 10, Circular Road in connection with a money laundering case lodged against former Rashtriya Janta Dal (RJD) MLC Anwar Ahmed’s son
Arshad Ahmed and employees of
Bihar Awami Cooperative Bank Limited by the central agency on April 7 last year.
Anwar is the bank’s chairman while his son is the director. The MLC is considered close aide of RJD chief Lalu Prasad.
CBI spokesperson
RK Gaur said the former CM had deposited Rs 10 lakh in cash in one of her account with the bank’s branch at
Muradpur on
Ashok Raj Path in Patna post demonetisation, which was announced by the central government on November 8, 2016.
“She was quizzed in connection with the cash deposit made by her in the bank account,” Gaur said, adding that Tuesday’s quizzing was part of the ongoing investigation in the case.
CBI’s anti-corruption branch in Patna had lodged an FIR against Arshad, who is the bank’s director as well as the director of Mother’s International Academy, two assistant-cum-cashiers Abhay Kumar and
Prakash Kumar Sinha, acting branch manager
Kaushalendra Kumar Sharma and certain unknown persons. Abhay was posted with Muradpur branch, Prakash was posted with Patna city branch while Kaushalendra was posted with Raza Bazar branch.
Several raids were conducted by CBI a day after lodging the FIR on these locations. Prior to the FIR, the Income-Tax department had conducted raids in connection with the case on January 13, 2017.
According to FIR, altogether 41 bank accounts in the name of workers and staffs of the school run by Arshad were fraudulently opened with three branches and he in connivance with bank officials deposited Rs 70.46 lakh in terms of discontinued currency of Rs 500 and Rs 1000 in them.
The workers and staffs were not even aware that their identity proofs were used to open false bank accounts.
Former Bihar Chief Minister Rabri Devi (TNN)