Saradha Scam: CBI Team Visits State Secretariat With Letters After Rajeev Kumar Skips Summon

A day after senior IPS officer and former Kolkata commissioner Rajeev Kumar skipped summon by Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) in connection with the Saradha scam probe, a team of apex investigating agency went to Nabanna, West Bengal state secretariat, to hand over some letters to senior government officials. According to reports, the CBI has sought details on Rajeev Kumar from the state police DIG, who accepted the letter after making them wait for 15 minutes.

However, the team couldn’t give the letters to Home Secretary and Chief Secretary as they were asked to come on a working day. The team was asked to come on a working day as there was nobody in the Chief Ministers’ Office to receive the letters, a CMO official said.

“They (CBI team members) have been told that since Sunday is a holiday, there is none at the CMO to receive any communication. They have been asked to come on a working day,” the official said.

After the Calcutta High Court withdrew his protection from arrest, the CBI had served fresh notice to former Kolkata Police Commissioner Rajeev Kumar on Friday asking him to appear before it on Saturday in connection with its probe into the Saradha scam.

However, Kumar is understood to have sought more time to appear before the investigating officer of the case, but that request is yet to be accepted by the probe agency.

Kumar, who is currently the West Bengal CID Additional Director General, was part of a special investigation team set up by the West Bengal government to investigate the scam before the Supreme Court handed over the case to the CBI in?2014, along with other chit fund cases.

The Saradha group of companies allegedly duped lakhs of people to the tune of Rs 2500 crore, promising a higher rate of returns on their investments.