A CBI lawyer said the agency has been served a copy of the petition by Kumar’s counsel. (File Photo)Two days after Alipore district sessions court rejected his prayer, former Kolkata police commissioner Rajeev Kumar’s wife on Monday filed an anticipatory bail petition on his behalf before the Calcutta High Court in multi-crore Saradha chit fund scam.
The plea is likely to be moved before a division bench of the High Court on Tuesday.
The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) claimed Kumar is not cooperating with it in the probe and has been evading appearance before it.
The counsel of the senior IPS officer, who is currently the Additional Director General in Criminal Investigation Department (CID), said he has taken leave from September 9 to 25.
A CBI source said Kumar might have extended his leave by five days. When The Indian Express contacted a CID official about Kumar’s leave extension, he, on condition of anonymity, said, “Officially there has been no such information. We know he is on leave till September 25.”
The CBI sources said Kumar is trying to buy time and has been in touch with some influential people who too are on the probe agency’s radar.
The CBI sources added he has been using other modes to communicate with his close aides and relatives instead of phone calls. His phones have been switched off for days.
The CBI officials have even questioned his wife on more than two occasions, however, she reportedly didn’t divulge any information related to him.
The investigating agency is now mulling over to get in touch with the state government again seeking information about Kumar. Last week it had sent letters to the Chief Secretary, Home Secretary and the DIG.
As per sources, the CBI is all set to file another chargesheet in the Saradha scam, which may mention a few influential people who have not been named earlier.
Kumar’s counsel Gopal Haldar had said in court that his name did not figure in the original and six supplementary chargesheets.
Sources in the CBI said despite being “elusive” all legal documents till date had Kumar’s signatures.
On Thursday, the agency had moved the court of Additional Chief Judicial Magistrate, seeking arrest warrant against Kumar. The court had, however, told the CBI that it does not need its warrant as the Supreme Court and the Calcutta High Court have already lifted bar on his arrest in the chit fund case.
The Calcutta High Court had on September 13 vacated its interim order granting him protection from arrest.
The Saradha group of companies allegedly duped lakhs of people to the tune of Rs 2,500 crore, promising higher rates of return on their investments. Kumar, who headed a special investigation team, to probe the scam before it was transferred to the CBI, has been accused of tampering with crucial evidence.
Evades summon in Rose Valley case
Kolkata: Former police chief Rajeev Kumar evaded yet another summon sent to him by CBI on Sunday in Rose Valley scam case.
Kumar did not turn up at the CBI office at Salt Lake here, instead, sources said, he sought time to appear before the probe agency.
The CBI sources said he responded with a letter, saying he would not be available till September 30. Kumar has been summoned for allegedly tampering evidence in the scam. ens
