CBI's arrest to arrest Rajiv Kumar: Nowhere to be found

(PTI) Kolkata - New Delhi, Ta. September 19, 2019, Thursday

Though summons was again issued for appearing in the court in the multi-crore Saradha cheat scandal, Kolkata's former police commissioner Rajiv Kumar did not appear.

Kumar, who is currently serving as the Director-General of the CID in West Bengal and his arguments by CBI prosecutors, reserved the judgment on Alipore's chief judicial magistrate's application to arrest Kumar.

The CBI again wrote a letter to the director general of the state requesting Kumar's phone number so that he could be contacted, an official of the investigating agency said.

Kumar, who is facing allegations of destroying the documents required to prepare the final charge sheet of the CBEA in the scam, is avoiding appearing before the investigating agency and no one is aware of where the sources are currently.

In a notice issued by the CBI, Kumar was asked to remain at the investigating agency's office at 11am on Friday morning. The agency added that he had also searched the IPS officers mess at Alipore and five star hotels at EM Bypass Road to capture Kumar.

The Kolkata High Court removed the rock on Kumar's arrest last Friday. The CBI had told Alipore court that even though he had sent notices to appear for Kumar several times, he did not appear to respond to the Sarada cheat scam case.

They also do not cooperate in our investigation, ”a CBI lawyer told a court in the Chief Judicial Magistrate. The agency claimed that Kumar was refusing to appear before the CBI for various reasons, and that the office at Salt Lake wanted more time.

Kumar's lawyers said they were merely witnesses and not the accused and that is why this court cannot issue a warrant to arrest them. Kumar's lawyers denied the CBI allegations, saying they did not avoid arrest and would be available between September 25 and the first.