Rajeev skips CBI summons, seeks more time

Former Police Commissioner of Kolkata Rajeev Kumar did not appear before the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on Monday for questioning in connection with the Saradha chit fund scam.

Kumar, who was summoned by the CBI on Saturday, sought seven days of additional time to appear before the central agency. He was reinstated by the West Bengal as the ADG CID on Saturday after being removed from the post by the Election Commission earlier.

Two CID officials arrived at the CBI’s Kolkata office in Salt Lake on the eastern fringes of the city on Monday afternoon and delivered Kumar’s letter to CBI officials.

“He (Kumar) is on leave now and hence will not be able to appear before the CBI today,” one of the CID officials told journalists. However, he refused to divulge any further details of Kumar’s letter.

According to sources in the CBI, they are currently trying to locate Kumar. The CBI has already issued a lookout notice against the former top cop to ensure that he does not leave the country.

CBI officials want to interrogate Kumar in connection with the Saradha chit fund scam after taking him in custody. Kumar was heading the special investigation team (SIT) probing the scam before the CBI took over the case.

The Supreme Court had last week turned down Kumar’s plea to extend his interim protection. Kumar, known for his proximity to West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, sought the extension as the lawyers in Bengal were on strike at that time. Earlier the Supreme Court withdrew its protection from arrest which it granted to him on February 5.

Meanwhile, the West Bengal government has appointed senior bureaucrat Alapan Bandyopadhyay as the state’s new home secretary. The EC removed the then Home Secretary Atri Bhattacharya ahead of the last phase of the Lok Sabha elections.