CBI quizzes Kumar for 9 hrs, grilling to continue

■ Three senior CBI officers questioned Kumar about his alleged role in the tampering of crucial evidence in the scam.

Shillong, Feb. 9: The CBI will continue the questioning of Kolkata Police Commissioner Rajeev Kumar for the second day on Sunday and former TMC MP Kunal Ghosh will appear in person at the investigating agency’s office here for interrogation in connection with the Saradha chit fund scam, officials said Saturday.

Three senior CBI officers questioned Kumar for nearly nine hours on Saturday about his alleged role in the tampering of crucial evidence in the scam, the officials said.

There was no briefing by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on the questioning which began at around 11 am at its highly secured office at Oakland here as per the directions of the Supreme Court.

Mr Kumar’s counsel Biswajit Deb, who is also the TMC coordinator for Meghalaya, said Mr Kumar is “cooperating and complying” with the CBI.

“He (Kumar) has come here on the orders of the Supreme Court. He has complied earlier and he is complying now as per the orders,” he told reporters outside the CBI office.

Mr Kumar led the special investigation team (SIT) formed by West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee to investigation the chit fund scam before the probe was handed over to the CBI by the apex court.

He will be present at the CBI office for the second day tomorrow, said Deb, who met Kumar along with two senior IPS officers from West Bengal — Javed Shamim and Murlidhar Sharma — thrice during the day for brief periods.

Mr Ghosh had implicated BJP leader Mukul Roy, who was once the right-hand man of Banerjee and 12 others in the Saradha scam.

The Supreme Court had directed Mr Kumar on Tuesday to appear before the CBI and “faithfully” cooperate in the investigation of cases arising out of the Saradha chit fund scam.

The apex court had also directed Kumar to appear before the investigating agency at a neutral place in Shillong “to avoid all unnecessary controversy” and made clear that he would not be arrested.

The CBI had moved the Supreme Court after its officials were thwarted by Kolkata Police when they had gone to Kumar’s official residence in Kolkata to question him on February 3.