Kolkata court rejects top cop Rajeev Kumar’s anticipatory bail application

Kolkata, September 21

Alipore District and Sessions Court rejected anticipatory bail application of former Kolkata police commissioner Rajeev Kumar on Saturday—a development that comes even as the Central Bureau of Investigation continues to look for the senior policeman who faces allegations of suppressing evidence in connection to a chit fund investigation.

Kumar, currently the additional director general of CID, West Bengal, had applied for anticipatory bail on Friday.

The CBI has claimed that Kumar has ignored its summons and has been untraceable for days. Kumar has been accused of suppressing crucial evidence in connection with the Saradha Chit Fund scam.

Barasat District and Sessions Court has also dismissed his anticipatory bail application in the case.

Investigators meanwhile said on Saturday that they were still looking for the officer, with CBI teams even paying a visit to his office, the state police’s Crime Investigation Department, at Kolkata’s Bhabani Bhavan in search of him. 

Sources said some investigators went also looking for him at a private hospital in South 24 Parganas district.

Last week, Director General of West Bengal Police told CBI Kumar was on leave from September 9-25.

The Saradha group of companies has been accused of scamming lakhs of people into investing their money into their scheme with a promise of higher returns. The scam is estimated to be to the tune of Rs 2500 crore.

Kumar headed a special investigation team set up to investigate the deposit default scam before the Supreme Court handed over the case to CBI in 2014.

The CBI had moved Alipore court for an arrest warrant for Kumar on Thursday but the court said the agency did not require a warrant because the Supreme Court and the Calcutta High Court had already lifted bar on his arrest in the chit fund case. Agencies