Saradha scam case: Ex-Kolkata top cop Rajeev Kumar fails to turn up at CBI office

Kolkata, Sep 16: Former Kolkata police commissioner Rajeev Kumar failed to turn up at the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) office at the Salt Lake, CGO complex in Kolkata on Monday to face interrogation in connection with the Saradha scam. CBI had summoned former Kolkata Police Commissioner Rajiv Kumar to appear before it, today.

The CBI had directed Kumar to appear before its officials by 2 pm Monday, but he did not turn up at CGO complex office of the premier investigating agency in the Salt Lake area here.

This is the second occasion since Saturday last that Kumar defied the CBI summons to present himself before its investigating team in the scam.

The CBI officials had gone to the state secretariat Nabanna' on Saturday and handed over a letter for the Director-General of Police of West Bengal Veerendra, directing Kumar to appear before the CBI officials at 2 pm on Monday. Kumar is currently the Additional Director General of Police in the Criminal Investigation Department (CID).

CBI officials went to the state secretariat on Monday morning again and delivered letters for Chief Secretary Malay De and Home Secretary Alapan Bandyopadhyay, in connection with Kumar not appearing before the agency on Saturday.

The agency also sought to know when Kumar would be joining duty, the official said. The orders of the Calcutta High Court withdrawing protection against arrest to Kumar were also attached with the letters.

The Calcutta High Court on Friday had vacated its interim order granting the former Kolkata Police commissioner protection from arrest in the Saradha chit fund scam case. Subsequently, CBI officials had visited Kumar's official residence at Park Street for handing over a letter, asking him to appear before the agency's office at Salt Lake on Saturday.

Kumar did not come before the CBI officials on that day, sources said. Kumar was part of a Special Investigation Team set up by the state government to investigate the scam before the Supreme Court handed over the case to the CBI in 2014, along with other chit fund cases.

CBI officials said that Kumar had allegedly suppressed evidence crucial for filing the final charge sheet in the Saradha scam case. The Saradha group of companies had allegedly duped lakhs of people to the tune of Rs 2500 crore, promising higher rates of returns on their investments. Kumar is untraceable and his phone is also not reachable.