Saradha case: CBI to question Kolkata Police Chief on Feb 9 in Shillong

Kolkata, Feb 07: The Central Bureau of Investigation will question Kolkata Police Commissioner Rajeev Kumar in Shillong on February 9 in connection with the Saradha case. 

The CBI wants to question Kumar, a 1989-batch IPS officer, as he was heading the SIT formed by the West Bengal government to probe Saradha and other similar ponzi scheme cases, they said.

The CBI has attached 10 officers from its Delhi, Bhopal and Lucknow units to its Kolkata office, which is probing the chit-fund scam cases, till February 20 to provide additional manpower during questioning of high-profile suspects, including the Kolkata police chief.

A team led by Superintendent of Police Jagroop S Gusinha from the special unit in New Delhi will camp in Kolkata, an official order said.

Following this a series of meetings were held at the CBI's Lodhi Road office in which the details of the questioning were discussed. While Kumar has suggested that he would be available on February 8, the CBI is yet to take a final call on the date.

While directing the commissioner, Rajeev Kumar to cooperate, the SC said that he will meet the CBI at Shillong, a neutral place. The court ordered that there would be no coercive steps including an arrest of Kumar.

The CBI told the Supreme Court that the Kolkata Police protected chit fund firms which donated to the TMC.

"State police was first to enter the premises of Saradha Group post collapse and there are allegations that important documents which could have provided important leads were removed to cause disappearance of evidence," a senior CBI official told PTI.

The agency, which wanted to probe the SIT members, was not getting positive response from the police as many officials, including Kumar, gave excuses to evade questioning, the said.