Chit fund scam: Sudipta Sen sent to judicial custody

Sudipta Sen, the chairman of the Saradha Group which allegedly defrauded thousands of small investors, was on Saturday sent to judicial custody by a Bidhanangar court as the police did not seek his further remand.

Sen was produced in the court of Chief Judicial Magistrate, Bidhanagar, AHM Rahman, after the expiry of nine days custody and sent on judicial remand in three separate cases till May 22, May 23 and May 31.

The police which had taken him on remand for 14 days followed by a further nine days, did not make a prayer for its extension, Sen's counsel Samir Das said.

The three cases are related to non-payment of salary and chitfund cases, Das said.

The in-charge of Saradha Group's Jharkhand operations, Arvind Singh Chouhan, was also remanded to judicial custody in three separate cases till till May 22, May 23 and May 31.

Saradha director, Debjani Mukherjee, could not be produced as she was admitted to a private hospital in the morning after she complained of illness.

"According to law for further remand in either police custody or judicial custody the accused has to be produced before the court either via tele conferencing or physically. As neither of the two is possible as of now her case is pending," Debjani's lawyer Anirban Guha Thakurta said.

Sen, Mukherjee and Chouhan, were arrested from Sonamarg in Kashmir valley on April 24 while they were on the run.