The Central Bureau of Investigation on Friday arrested Shubhra Kundu, wife of Rose Valley Group Chairman Gautam Kundu, in connection with a chit fund scam worth more than Rs 15,000 crore, ABP Ananda reported.

The Rose Valley scam came to light soon after an inquiry began into the 2013 Saradha ponzi scheme, which revealed alleged links of Trinamool Congress leaders, and other public personalities in West Bengal. The company allegedly cheated thousands of depositors, promising high returns on investments in its illegal schemes.

Advertisement

Gautam Kundu has been in jail since March 2015, and his wife was arrested for her alleged role in the scam, PTI reported quoting unidentified CBI officials. Shubhra Kundu, whose jewellery store chain “Adrija” was sealed since investigation into the matter started, has also been on the wanted list of Enforcement Directorate, according to PTI.

Shubhra Kundu will reportedly be presented before a court in Bhubaneshwar, according to ABP Ananda.

In October, Shubhra Kundu was interrogated by the Enforcement Directorate, for a third time, over anomalies in the accounts of her jewellery chain, NDTV reported.

Advertisement

In 2014, the Enforcement Directorate had registered a first information report against the company, Goutam Kundu and others in 2014 under anti-money laundering laws. The investigating agency has filed multiple charge sheets in Kolkata and Bhubaneshwar High Courts in the case, according to NDTV. In its charge sheet, the agency had said that it was investigating the role of “influential people” in the case, besides money trails.

Trinamool Congress MP Sudip Bandyopadhyay was arrested by the CBI in 2017, while another party leader Tapas Pal was also issued summons. Bandyopadhyay was later granted bail in the case, while Pal passed away last year. Bengali film producer Shrikant Mohta was also arrested by the CBI in 2019, in relation to the case.