Ex-CBI interim director Nageswara Rao denies linkage to firm raided by Kolkata police

A team of around 30 police officers raided the two offices, allegedly linked to Rao's wife Mannem Sandhya.

M Nageshwar Rao (Source: PTI)

Kolkata: A day before Kolkata Police commissioner Rajeev Kumar's was scheduled questioning by CBI sleuths, the city police on Friday night conducted raids on two properties of a non-banking finance company, allegedly linked to the agency's former interim director Nageswara Rao's wife. The raids were said to be conducted in two offices of Angela Mercantiles Pvt. Ltd. part of the city police's probe into an old complaint lodged at the Bowbazar Police Station. A team of around 30 police officers raided the two offices, allegedly linked to Rao's wife Mannem Sandhya. "There have been a series of transactions between the company and Mannem Sandhya. We are looking into the matter," the police officer said. Shortly after, in a statement, Rao, who is currently the additional director of CBI, said, "I deny the linkage of this firm with my family members as reported by some media. "In light of certain reporting appearing in some media outlets, including some TV channels today linking my family members with a company on which Kolkata Police has carried out raids, I want to state that I had already clarified regarding this issue through a signed press statement on 30th October, 2018. "Further, complete details of all property of my family and mine have already been submitted in my annual property return submitted to the government which are available on Ministry of Home Affairs' website," the statement said. In Shillong, Kolkata Police Commissioner Rajeev Kumar will today face questioning by the CBI for his alleged role in destroying evidence in the Saradha chit fund scam. Kumar will be interrogated by CBI sleuths at two locations -- in the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) office here and at an undisclosed location.