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Kolkata Police Chief Created Hurdles In Chit Fund Case Probe, Says CBI; SC To Hear Matter Today

The CBI has alleged that the investigation in ponzi scam cases was being hindered and investigation officers were harassed.

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Kolkata Police Chief Created Hurdles In Chit Fund Case Probe, Says CBI; SC To Hear Matter Today
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Following the face-off between the CBI and Kolkata policemen outside city Police Commissioner's official residence on Sunday, the central investigating agency moved the Supreme Court on Monday.

The CBI sought directions to Kolkata top cop Rajeev Kumar to cooperate with the investigation in Saradha chit fund case.

The Supreme Court has agreed to hear the CBI plea on Tuesday.

"If Kolkata Police Commissioner even remotely thinks of destroying evidence, bring the material before this Court. We will come down so heavily on him that he will regret," CJI Gogoi said.

In its petition to the SC, the CBI said Kumar was sumoned multiple times but he failed to cooperate and created hurdles in the investigation, reported news agency ANI.

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There was a high drama in front of Kolkata police commissioner Rajeev Kumar's official residence on Loudon Street on Sunday as a group CBI officers approached the house, but they were stopped by city police personnel, who also forcibly took the federal probe agency officers to a police station.

A senior Kolkata Police officer told reporters, "They told us that they were CBI officers and when asked to produce documents, they failed to submit these. They could not give us any satisfactory response," he said.

Refuting the claim, a CBI official said the agency had all the requisite documents.

"No one is in detention. We were not given any cooperation and have all the documents. Our officers came for the operations and we were taken to a police station forcibly. We sought police protection which was denied. They did not accept any request. We are intending to submit an application but they were not ready to accept it," said a CBI officer.

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"They went there after completing all the legal requirements and they (city police) should have cooperated. Over last two years, we have been giving notices to police officers who were investigating in these (Ponzi scheme) cases before the Supreme Court handed over the cases to us," CBI Joint Director Pankaj Srivastava said.

He alleged that several primary pieces of evidence were missing, and either they were "destructed" or "contrived".

"Several very primary evidence were missing and either they were destructed or contrived. So we wanted to question these people about where evidence has gone...for the last two years, the investigation in these was being interfered into and our officers were called to police stations for different cases and they were questioned and harassed. A lot of intimidation has been going on."

He said the federal agency had moved Supreme Court in 2017 and in July 2018, the court said that the agency should cooperate with the CBI.

"Despite that, no cooperation came forward. So our officers went there (CP's residence) to question him and they were stopped from entering the residences.

"On the order of the Supreme Court to investigate a larger conspiracy involving in these cases, the agency has been investigating the case.

"We will move the Supreme Court," he said.

Srivastava also said the agency offices in the city and his residence here was surrounded by state police forces and following which, Central Police Force was called on for the safety of documents.

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(With inputs from agencies)

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