Coal smuggling case: CBI summons Abhishek Banerjee’s in-laws for questioning

Kolkata, Mar 12: The Central Bureau of Investigation on Friday summoned TMC MP Abhishek Banerjee's sister-in-law Maneka's husband and father-in-law for questioning on March 15 at its Kolkata office in connection with the coal smuggling probe. Pawan and Ankush Arora have been summoned by the CBI.

Gambhir's father-in-law Pawan Arora and her husband Ankush Arora have been asked to appear before the CBI on March 15, they said.

The probe agency has already interrogated Banerjee's wife Rujira and Gambhir at their respective residences in the city in the last week of February for their alleged involvement in the scam.

Banerjee is the nephew of West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee.

According to the sources, Gambhir had told the CBI during interrogation that she was not aware of anything and that her husband and father-in-law were in the know of what was happening.

The agency has been on the lookout for the scam kingpin Anup Majhi, alias Lala, who has been missing.

A lookout circular had also been issued against him. The CBI had also raided several premises of Majhi in the city and in the coal bearing belt of Asansol and Ranigunj in the state.

The investigation agency is of the view that the coal scam arising out of illegal mining from abandoned mines of Eastern Coalfields, runs into thousands of crores of Rupees and part of the crime proceeds had been transacted through the hawala route for which the Enforcement Directorate (ED) has also joined the probe.

On November 28, 2020, the CBI had conducted raids at 45 different places, including in West Bengal in connection with the coal pilferage scam.