The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) arrested on Friday Sadananda Gogoi, a singer and film-maker from Assam, in connection with the on-going probe in the Saradha scam.
Mr Gogoi who has been quizzed several times by the Central investigating agency was arrested on charges of “conspiracy and misappropriation of funds”, a senior CBI official told The Hindu.
The artist from Assam will be produced before a court in the city on Saturday.
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Mr Gogoi’s arrest is the fourth by the agency in connection with the scam. Earlier, the CBI had arrested East Bengal club official Debabrata Sarkar, city businessman Sandhir Agarwal and retired IPS officer Rajat Majumdar.
Though the CBI has conducted raids in States other than West Bengal, Mr Gogoi is the first person to be arrested by the Central agency in connection with the scam from a State other than West Bengal.
During the day, Mr Gogoi was summoned at the CBI office here and after several hours of questioning he was arrested in the evening. There have reportedly been several discrepancies in his statement.
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The Chairman and managing director of the scam-tainted Saradha group, Sudipta Sen, had funded certain media organisations in Assam and Mr Gogoi is believed to have played a key role in the deals.
In the last week of August, the CBI had searched 12 premises in Assam including the residence of former Health and Education Minister and dissident Congress legislator Himanta Biswa Sarma.
The Supreme Court had directed a CBI probe into the scam in May 2014 after petitioners moved the apex court stating that the scam has inter-State ramifications.
Lakhs of people in West Bengal and adjoining States have been affected in the scam which came to the fore in April 2013.