Kolkata: CBI officials on Friday went to various locations to trace former Kolkata Police Commissioner Rajeev Kumar after he again failed to turn up at the agency’s office here in the morning in connection with the probe into Saradha chit fund scam, sources in the agency said here.
Kumar was summoned by the CBI to appear before its officials in connection with the multi-crore ponzi scam as he is alleged to have suppressed crucial pieces of evidences required to prepare the final chargesheet by the probe agency.
Officials of CBI’s Special Crime Branch branched out in teams and visited the official residence of Kumar, now additional director general of CID, on Park Street here, while another team went to a resort in South 24 Parganas to trace the senior IPS officer, the sources said.
On Thursday also, CBI sleuths had gone to IPS officers’ mess and a five-star hotel to trace Kumar.
This is the third occasion since Saturday that Kumar defied CBI summons to appear before its investigating team at the CGO complex office in Salt Lake.
The Calcutta High Court on Friday last withdrew the protection granted to Kumar from CBI taking any coercive action against him.
CBI had also sought the help of the West Bengal government to know the whereabouts of Kumar.
In reply to a letter by the probe agency, state Director General of Police Virendra said Kumar was on leave from September 9 to 25, 2019.
Kumar was part of a special investigation team (SIT) set up by the state government to investigate the Saradha 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 higher rates of return on their investments.
Rajeev Kumar files for anticipatory bail
Former Kolkata Police commissioner Rajeev Kumar on Friday filed an anticipatory bail plea in the Alipore district and sessions court, a day after a city court said that the CBI does not need a warrant to arrest him in the Saradha chit fund scam case.
The plea is likely to be taken up for hearing by the Alipore district and sessions court on Saturday, Kumar’s lawyer Gopal Haldar said.
The CBI had moved the Additional Chief Judicial Magistrate (ACJM) at the Alipore court on Thursday seeking an arrest warrant against Kumar.
The court disposed of CBI’s application saying that the agency does not need its arrest warrant as the Supreme Court and the Calcutta High Court had already lifted the bar on his arrest in the Saradha chit fund case.
The ACJM said the CBI may proceed against Kumar, who is currently the additional director general of West Bengal CID, in accordance with the law.
Kumar on Tuesday had failed to get relief from the Barasat district and sessions court on his anticipatory bail application before it in the case.
The sessions judge had disposed of Kumar’s plea and said it has no jurisdiction in the matter as the multi-crore chit fund scam case was registered at the Alipore court.
While the Barasat court is in North 24 Parganas district, the Alipore court is in adjacent South 24 Parganas.
Kumar’s lawyers had moved the prayer before the sessions judge after a special court in the district, in charge of trial of criminal cases against MPs and MLAs, refused to hear the petition, saying it does not have jurisdiction to hear anticipatory bail pleas.
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People should be considered innocent until proven guilty, but if he has done nothing unlawful, then why is he refusing to attend the CBI questioning sessions by absconding/hiding?
Mr.Rajeev Kumar seems to be a role model for Thieves. Considering he is a police officer, his attempt to hide from investigators, should lead to a suspension at the least. The optics of a state chief CID running away do not look good.
Considering that the absconding IPS officer was extremely close to Smt Mamata Banerjee, the optics of this is very bad for her. Maybe that is why she is trying behave normally in her interaction with Shri Narendra Modi. This is totally against her nature and past record.