CBI summons ex-Kolkata police chief to appear before it today

New Delhi/Kolkata: The CBI has summoned former Kolkata police commissioner Rajeev Kumar, asking him to appear before it on Monday for questioning in connection with the Saradha ponzi scheme case, officials said.

Kumar, a 1989-batch IPS officer, has been asked to be present at the Kolkata office of the agency in Salt Lake, officials said on Sunday.

The CBI has also issued a Look Out Notice against Kumar to prevent him from leaving the country, officials said.

All the airports and immigration authorities have been alerted by the CBI to prevent him from leaving the country and intimate the agency about any possible move, they said.

On Sunday evening, a team from Kolkata CBI office went to Commissioner of Police (CP) bungalow located at Loudon Street in Kolkata. However, they were informed by the security personnel that he doesn't live there anymore. Later, the CBI sleuths went to IPS officer's quarters located inside the premises of Deputy Commissioner (DC), South office at Park Street.

Meanwhile, the West Bengal government issued an order after withdrawal of Model Code of Conduct (MCC), reinstating Kumar as the Additional Director General (ADG) of Criminal Investigation Department (CID). Following the order, the CBI team went to Bhawani Bhavan. Sources informed that though Kumar was not there, CBI served a notice where he has been summoned at the CGO Complex in Salt Lake on Monday morning.

The agency wants custodial interrogation of Kumar in connection with the ponzi scheme case as he was heading the Special Investigation Team (SIT) of the West Bengal police to probe the case before the CBI took over, the officials said.

The probe agency had told the Supreme Court that custodial interrogation of Kumar was necessary as he was not co-operating in the probe and he was "evasive" and "arrogant" in answering the queries put to him during his questioning by the agency.

Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, who was appearing for the CBI, had said Kumar was the incharge of investigation by the SIT and had allowed the release of mobile phones and laptops, containing crucial records of alleged involvement of political functionaries in the scam, which were seized from the accused.

Mehta had said the seized mobile phones and laptops were not even sent for forensic examination and material evidence were destroyed in the case

The apex court had last month asked CBI to furnish evidence for seeking custodial interrogation of Kumar in Saradha case, saying it has to be satisfied that the agency's request was "bona fide" and not for "political purposes".