The CBI Tuesday arrested a leader of West Bengal's ruling Trinamool Congress and former director general of the state armed police Rajat Majumdar in connection with the multi-crore-rupee Saradha chit fund scam
Kolkata: The CBI Tuesday arrested a leader of West Bengal's ruling Trinamool Congress and former director general of the state armed police Rajat Majumdar in connection with the multi-crore-rupee Saradha chit fund scam.
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Majumdar, the first Trinamool leader to be arrested by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) in the scandal, complained of chest pain soon after being taken into custody and was rushed to the state-run NRS Medical College and Hospital.
Majumdar, who occupied crucial posts like inspector general (Railways) during his long Indian Police Service (IPS) career, was the third arrest made by the investigating agency in West Bengal in the scam, which was said to have spread across various states and whose monetary value could well run into over Rs.10,000 crore.
While suspended Trinamool parliamentarian Kunal Ghosh was arrested by the Special Investigation Team of the state police last year, a minister, several parliamentarians and close associates of powerful leaders of the party have been grilled by the CBI and the Enforcement Directorate (ED).
Probing the scandal on the Supreme Court's orders, the CBI earlier quizzed Majumdar for the second time during the day. He faced the first round of questioning Aug 23.
Majumdar had worked as a security advisor for the tainted Saradha Group after his retirement as a police officer in 2008.
The arrest was made Tuesday evening after three hours of questioning.
"He has been arrested on grounds of conspiracy, cheating and misappropriation of funds," said a CBI spokesperson.
The investigative agency has registered four first information reports in the scam.
Majumdar's name cropped up after journalist-turned-Trinamool Rajya Sabha member Ghosh, now behind bars, accused him of swindling crores of rupees in organising a cultural programme in Las Vegas in 2012.
Majumdar joined the Trinamool in recent years, and served as the party's poll observer for Birbhum district for the 2013 panchayat election.