CBI questions TMC MLA embroiled in Narada case

Trinamool Congress MLA and the Deputy Mayor of Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC), Iqbal Ahmed, appeared at the CBI office at Nizam Palace in central Kolkata on Thursday. He is the first among the 13 accused in the Narada scam case to be summoned by the central investigating agency.

He arrived at the office at 11 am along with his lawyer. He was questioned by CBI officers for over eight hours before being released. CBI sources said that he was questioned in phases about his alleged involvement in the whole sting operation.

He was initially asked about how he came to know about Mathew Samuel, the CEO of the news portal that carried out the sting, and why he had introduced him to the TMC leaders. Sources added that he was also shown pictures of him and Samuel during meetings with different TMC leaders and was asked related questions.

It was found that Ahmed's statements were contradictory, the sources said.

He was not arrested on Thursday due to his his health condition, documents regarding which had been submitted to the CBI by his lawyer. "Not arresting him doesn't mean he would not be called for questioning again," said a senior official.

Ahmed appeared visibly tired coming out of the CBI office after the grilling session and refused to talk to media persons.

The CBI had sent a notice to him on June 8, asking him to appear before it on June 10, but Ahmed deferred his appearance citing health reasons.