Saradha probe: CBI arrests close aide of Sudipta Sen

New Delhi, May 19: CBI on Tuesday arrested Arindam Das alias Bumba, a close aide of Saradha scam mastermind Sudipta Sen, who was allegedly operating the money spinning schemes of the ponzi company in West Bengal.

Sources said Das had allegedly gone absconding since August last year when he was called for questioning by the agency in connection with the ongoing probe.

He was arrested this morning and will be produced before the special court here for seeking police remand, the sources said. It is alleged that Das was running the operations of Saradha group in 24 Pargana (south) of West Bengal, they said.

CBI has charged Sen with cheating. Five companies--Saradha Tours and Travels, Saradha Gardens, Saradha Realty, Saradha Constructions Strategic Media, a company owned by Kunal Ghosh, have also been named in the charge sheet.

The Supreme Court had handed over the Saradha chit fund scam probe to CBI and asked the state governments to provide all logistical help to the agency.

CBI has formed a Special Investigating Team (SIT) headed by Joint Director Rajiv Singh to also probe the role of the Securities Exchange Board of India (SEBI) and RBI.

"The investigation conducted so far puts a question mark on the role of regulatory authorities like SEBI, Registrar of Companies and officials of RBI within whose respective jurisdictions and areas of operation the scam not only took birth but flourished unhindered," an apex court bench headed by Justice TS Thakur had said in its order.

PTI