Saradha Scam: After HC Withdraws Protection, CBI Reaches Ex-Top Cop Rajeev Kumar's Residence

The Kolkata High Court on Friday removed the protection order former Kolkata Police Commissioner Rajiv Kumar of which granted him protection from custodial interrogation or arrest in connection with the Saradha chit fund scam.

On May 30, a Calcutta High Court vacation bench gave Kumar temporary relief from arrest. (File Photo/ Getty)

Kolkata: In a massive setback for the former Kolkata Police Commissioner Rajiv Kumar, the Kolkata High Court on Friday removed the protection order which granted him protection from custodial interrogation or arrest in connection with the Saradha chit fund scam. According to latest reports, Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), that is proving the scam, served Kumar a fresh notice  asking him to appear before it on Saturday. CBI officials on Friday went to his official residence here apparently to serve a notice asking him to appear before the agency in connection with the probe into the scam. The probe agency issued the notice on Friday in relation to the allegations on the former IPS officer for tampering evidence in the Saradha chit fund scam. News agency IANS stated that when the CBI officers reached Kumar's Park Street residence, the former Kolkata Police Commissioner was not there. A large number of uniformed and plain dressed policemen from the Park Street police station were present at the spot when the CBI officials arrived there at 4.55 pm. On May 30, a Calcutta High Court vacation bench gave Kumar temporary relief from arrest but said that he has to appear whenever he is summoned for interrogation. Kumar's lawyer had alleged in the court that CBI was trying to harass him by summoning him repeatedly. The court, however, said that the agency could summon him whenever it felt necessary for questioning. In May, Rajeev Kumar was questioned by the CBI officials in connection with the Saradha ponzi scam. The CBI had earlier questioned Kumar about a pen drive and red diary which were found by the Special Investigation Team (SIT), constituted by the Mamata Banerjee government in 2013 and headed by him, from the office of Saradha Group. Both pen drive and diary, allegedly seized from Saradha’s office in Midland Park in Salt Lake, are believed to contain information on pay offs to influential persons. The SIT had investigated the scam till 2014, when the CBI took over the probe following an order by the Supreme Court. Much sensitive and politically linked Saradha scam amounting to a fraud of Rs 2,460 is believed to be one of the biggest scams of West Bengal in which a minister (Madan Mitra), a Rajya Sabha MP (Kunal Ghosh) and a Trinamool Congress (TMC) vice-president Rajat Majumdar were sent to jail.