CBI claims evidence against Rajeev Kumar; fears chit fund scam documents, CDs will be destroyed

After a team of CBI officers was detained and stopped from entering the residence of Kolkata Police Commissioner Rajeev Kumar, interim CBI chief M Nageshwar Rao on Sunday said that the agency is contacting their senior law officers about the incident.

"We are contacting our senior law officers about the Kolkata incident. Whatever they suggest will be followed," Nageshwar Rao told news agency ANI.

Backing the CBI officers' move, Rao said that there is evidence against Rajeev Kumar and he has been instrumental in causing the destruction of this evidence and obstructing justice.

The CBI wanted to interrogate Kolkata police commissioner Rajiv Kumar as there was "evidence" that he was instrumental in causing destruction of evidence in the chit fund scam,Rao said. Rao told ANI that the CBI is investigating the chit-fund cases as per the direction of the Supreme Court.

"A SIT was constituted by the West Bengal government prior to the orders of the Supreme Court under the chairmanship of Rajeev Kumar, who is now Commissioner of Police Kolkata. They (police) have taken charge of the evidence and have seized the documents and compact discs. They are not cooperating with us in handing over the seized documents," Rao told ANI.

He added that several orders were sent to Kumar seeking the evidence in the case but the Kolkata police commissioner did not cooperate.

He asserted that the West Bengal police is not helping the CBI and instead its officers are harassing the officials of the Central probe agency.

"Our notices have gone on deaf years. The state police is not cooperating, they are trying to harass the CBI officials by various means. This was brought to the notice of the Supreme Court, which advised the state authority to cooperate. In the meantime whatever investigation we could do. There is evidence against him (Rajeev Kumar), he has been instrumental in causing destruction of evidence and obstructing justice," he said.

"Since he has not been cooperative, we decided to visit him and interrogate him, following which we could have taken the next step. But our people were detained and then arrested. I don't know what crime have they committed? and under what law were they arrested by the police.  We also fear that the police and the locals who have surrounded our offices in the state might hamper the evidence," he added.

In an unprecedented development, the West Bengal police prevented the CBI from arresting its top cop and detained five officials of the central investigative agency, leading to high drama here on Sunday.

The development marks a face-off between the Mamata Banerjee government and the Centre, adding a new dimension to the already bitter relations.

A team of CBI investigators who arrived at Kolkata Police Commissioner Rajeev Kumar's residence in connection with Saradha Chit fund scam were not allowed to enter the residence. The team was taken to a police station and was later released.

"We had enough and relevant documents we are a professional institution we did not get any support from state police we are unnecessary detained," a CBI official who was detained said.

Kolkata Para Military forces were also pressed into action at the CBI office here.