Several important people of Kolkata – including an M.P of Trinamool Congress (AITC), a veteran sports administrator and a top notch businessman – were interrogated by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) and the CBI in connection with multi-crore Saradha ponzi scheme scam.
While Rajya Sabha M.P. Ahmed Hassan Imran reached the ED office at Salt Lake in the morning, sports administrator Debabarta Sarkar and businessman Sandhir Agrawal are in CBI custody. A day before their CBI remand ends on Tuesday Mr Sarkar and Mr Agrawal were questioned for several hours on Monday. Mr Imran was interrogated throughout the day.
Mr. Imran, a journalist who runs a Bengali newspaper, was quizzed till late evening. The officers wanted to know the amount at which Mr Imran facilitated the sale of a newspaper owned by Sudipta Sen. According to sources, the figures given by Mr. Sen and Mr Imran to ED were different. ED sleuths enquired about the details of Mr Imran's income and other interests while working for the publication, the sources said. Meanwhile, the CBI questioned Mr. Sarkar and tea merchant Sandhir Agrawal. Mr Sarkar reportedly introduced Mr Agrawal to Mr. Sen. The agency quizzed them for several hours – separately and together – to locate the money trail. The money, raised from small investors, was allegedly siphoned off using Mr. Sarkar and Mr. Agrawal’s networks. Mr. Sarkar – well known in the football and cricket clubs of Kolkata – allegedly spent a huge amount to fund events his club, East Bengal. Another businessman, Ramesh Gandhi, who was associated with coal and media business, was also questioned on Monday.
