The Calcutta High Court on Tuesday extended the interim protection granted to former Kolkata Police Commissioner Rajeev Kumar till August 28, PTI reported. The Central Bureau of Investigation is investigating Kumar in connection with the Saradha chit fund scam.
Justice Madhumati Mitra extended Kumar’s interim protection after CBI said the senior counsel was out of town in connection with another case. The junior counsel for the investigating agency asked for adjournment of hearing of Kumar’s application that sought to quash the agency’s notice to appear before them in the investigation into the multi-crore scam.
The court said the matter would be heard again on August 27.
Kumar headed the Special Investigation Team set up by West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee to investigate the scam before the Supreme Court handed over the case to the Central Bureau of Intelligence in 2014. The agency wants to interrogate him as he reportedly gave evasive replies during questioning in Shillong in February. Kumar is accused of tampering with crucial evidence in the case.
Kumar is now additional director general of police and inspector general of police at the state’s Crime Investigation Department.
The Saradha company ran several ponzi schemes in West Bengal, allegedly defrauding lakhs of people. Thousands of crores of rupees were lost after the scheme collapsed in 2013. Its promoter Sudipta Sen was arrested the same year.
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