News

ED notice to Trinamool Rajya Sabha MP in Saradha case

by IBNS 22 Aug 2014, 10:59 pm

Kolkata, Aug 23 (IBNS): The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has sent a notice to Trinamool Congress Rajya Sabha member Ahmed Hassan Imran in connection with the multi-crore Saradha chitfund scam. Imran has been asked to appear before the agency on August 25, reports said.

The ED had earlier sent two similar notices to Imran to appear before the office here in regard to the Saradha ponzi scam but the Trinamool MP never turned up. He also did not reply to the investigating agency citing any valid reason of his absence.

According to sources, the ED this time has given an ultimatum to Imran to appear on Monday (August 25) so that they can record his statement on the matter with the directorate. If he fails to appear this time also, the ED officials might move the court seeking judicial intervention into the matter.

The ED officials are likely to question the Trinamool Rajya Sabha MP about the financial dealings of Saradha-owned Bengali daily Kalam where Imran is an editor. Sources said Imran is a “front man” for Jamat-e-Islami, Bangladesh (JIB) and one of the founder members of the banned students’ outfit Student Islamic Movement of India (SIMI).

The latest notice to Imran was served 24-hours within the arrest of top East Bengal club official Debabrata Sarkar who was taken into custody by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI). Sarkar was produced before the court on Thursday and remanded to CBI custody till August 26.

Earlier, another Trinamool Congress’ Rajya Sabha member Kunal Ghosh had been arrested by the officials of the Bidhannagar Commissionerate in connection with the chitfund scam. Journalist-turn politician, Ghosh was the chief executive officer (CEO) of the Saradha’s media business.

“The Kolkata police have got a complete dossier on Imran and his all inter-state and international links. He has got questionable nationality as well as no one knows if he is an Indian or a Bangladeshi. But no one could do anything to him for the relation he shares with chief minister Mamata Banerjee and other Trinamool leaders,” alleged CPI-M Lok Sbha member Md Salim.

Salim said Imran had sold his Urdu language newspaper to Sudipto Sen just before the arrest of the Saradha chief. But he again took it back after Sen was nabbed by the Bidhannagar police.

Meanwhile, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on Saturday called former West Bengal top cop Rajat Majumder at the their Salt Lake office here for interrogation. Sources said he might be quizzed by the central investigating agency sleuths in front of Saradha Group chairman Sudipto Sen. His statement might be recorded as well.

The CBI had also conducted a raid at Majumder’s south Kolkata residence on August 14. 

The Saradha Group that went bust last year left lakhs of depositors in a fix. 

Sen and Saradha Group director Debjani Mukherjee were arrested in April 2013 from Jammu and Kashmir. He was absconding since Saradha Group collapsed.  The duo is now in jail in the ponzi scam. 

Sen had claimed that he was blackmailed and used by politicians mainly from Mamata Banerjee's Trinamool Congress.