Top I-T officer interrogated in connection with 'multi-crore' money laundering case
Kolkata: Kolkata Police on Tuesday interrogated former top Income Tax (I-T) officer Biswanath Jha in connection with a "multi-crore" money laundering case, sources said. The officers, however, did not get satisfactory replies from him.
Jha, who retired on November 30 from the post of Principal Chief Commissioner of Eastern Region and Sikkim, may be summoned again by the anti-fraud section of the city police's Detective Department.
The name of the retired IRS officer cropped up after some documents including I-T related files with his signature were found at the residence of one dubious accountant Govind Agarwal, who was arrested recently and later granted bail. The raid was conducted at his house after his arrest in connection with the case that was lodged in 2017.
According to an officer, the interrogation continued for around three hours when some documents were placed before him, which had his signature. Sources said the investigating officers wanted to know whether the signature was original or not. Though he accepted it to be his, he informed the police that he has no clue how it was found in Agarwal's house, sources said.
Police also wanted to know the connection between these two along with some other I-T officers.
"We have not received satisfactory answers and the possibility of summoning him again cannot be ruled out," said an officer on condition of anonymity.
It was around 2.50 pm when Jha reached the city police's headquarters at Lalbazar. The investigating officers will question a few more I-T officers too. Sources added that Jha will be questioned again before anyone else is summoned.
The investigating officers also wanted to question another IRS officer Neeraj Kumar Singh "but it has not been possible as he is fighting cancer in Mumbai," an officer added.