Narada’s Mathew Samuel detained at Delhi airport on arrival from Dubai

Narada News CEO Mathew Samuel was detained at Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International Airport while returning from Dubai due to the lookout notice that was issued against him in connection with the Kolkata Police’s probe on the sting operation featuring several leaders of a political party.

The development comes a day after the Calcutta High Court issued a stay order on the parallel probe undertaken by Kolkata Police. 

Dinesh Kumar Gupta, Deputy Commissioner of Police (Airports) told Millennium Post: “On Saturday evening, while Samuel was coming from Dubai, he was detained at the immigration unit at Indira 

Gandhi International Airport. Soon after his detention, Kolkata Police, who had already issued a lookout notice for him, was informed. Meanwhile, Delhi Police were also informed about the detention.”

It was learnt from another senior official that Samuel has been handed over to Delhi Police and he will be sent to Kolkata on Monday after being produced in a Delhi court. 

The concerned officers of both Kolkata and Delhi Police are in touch and a set of senior cops of Kolkata Police will be flying to Delhi to take Samuel in their custody.

However, Vishal Garg, Joint Commissioner of Police (Crime), did not issue any statement in this regard. But sources said that a high level meeting was held in the city police’s headquarters at Lalbazar on Saturday night to decide the next course of action as the High Court has put a stay of the probe.

The Kolkata Police had moved to Bankshall Court after Samuel didn’t turn up for interrogation despite being summoned twice on June 26 and July 1 this year respectively. Henceforth, the Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Sanjay Ranjan Paul had issued a lookout notice against Samuel on July 21 directing him to meet an Assistant Commissioner of Police of Kolkata Police’s detective department within the next seven days. But he didn’t turn up there as well.

His counsel, Arunava Ghosh had moved to the high court to attract attention about how the Kolkata Police can undertake a parallel investigation when the hearing in connection with a public interest litigation in similar connection was ongoing in the Calcutta High Court.

On Saturday night, Shamim Ahmed, a counsel of Samuel, said the arrest is against the direction of the high court and they would move against the detention of Samuel.

It may be mentioned that the Kolkata Police had initiated a probe after a meeting held at Nabanna headed by Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee. She had claimed that none of her leaders had taken money either in Saradha or Narada scam. 

The Kolkata Police had initiated the case against Samuel after a complaint was lodged by the wife of Mayor Sovan Chatterjee with New Market police station against Samuel alleging defamation.