In a major setback to the Trinamool Congress-led West Bengal government, state transport and sports minister, Madan Mitra was arrested by the CBI on Friday in connection with the multi-crore Saradha chit fund scam.
The arrest comes after the CBI interrogated him for nearly five and a half hours over the post he was holding in the Saradha Group of Companies.
Confirming the arrest, a CBI spokesperson said charges slapped against Mitra include criminal conspiracy, cheating and misappropriation. He has also been charged with deriving undue financial benefits from the Saradha Group.
This apart, the CBI also arrested Naresh Balodia, the legal advisor of Saradha Group of Companies chairman Sudipta Sen. “CBI also arrested Naresh Balodia on charges of criminal conspiracy, cheating and diversion of funds in the same case,” said a CBI official.
Mitra had appeared before the CBI office at the CGO complex at 11 am and was arrested at 4.10pm after two sessions of extensive grilling.
The Governor of West Bengal, Keshari Nath Tripathi said, “Arrest of a minister is a serious thing. The CBI may have some material against him. Don’t know good or bad. Things must be clarified by the CBI.”
Minutes after the cabinet minister was arrested, the Trinamool Congress condemned the arrest by the CBI and termed it as a larger conspiracy by the BJP-led NDA government.
“The arrest is politically motivated. BJP is doing politics of vindictiveness. How can the government and the assembly speaker be kept in the dark before arresting a cabinet minister,” said state panchayat minister, Subrata Mukherjee.
“We are exploring all options. We may bring a privilege motion. We will storm the parliament if necessary,” Mukherjee added.
Mitra was earlier summoned by the central agency on November 15, asking him to appear for questioning. However, the transport minister took ill and sought relaxation citing health reasons.
Ruling out any involvement in the scam, Mitra had asserted that he would cooperate with CBI officials after he gets discharged from the hospital.
Two Rajya Sabha MPs - Kunal Ghosh and Srinjoy Bose - and the party vice-president Rajat Majumdar of the Trinamool Congress are behind bars for their involvement in the Saradha scam.
Saradha chairman, Sudipta Sen, who is behind bars, had told the CBI that Mitra took money from him on various occasions and the company's executive director, Debjani Mukherjee, told the agency that she saw Mitra at Saradha's Midland Park office on several occasions.
The CBI also recorded the statement of Bapi Karim, Mitra's former confidential assistant, in which he had alleged that he accompanied the minister to the Midland Park office several times.
Soon after Mitra was arrested, the party received flak from opposition parties.
Leader of Opposition at the West Bengal Assembly, Suryakanta Mishra demanded that the money must be returned to the investors, arrests are not enough.
“This arrest is not enough. Investors who lost money in the scam, must be returned to them,” said Mishra.
The BJP also slammed the Trinamool Congress for its leader’s alleged involvement with the scam. “Trinamool Congress leaders have been accusing us for party leader’s arrests. Supreme Court’s order of a CBI probe into the scam came much earlier before we came to power at the Centre. If the party still thinks that it is a conspiracy by the Central government or the BJP then they should move Court,” said BJP state president Rahul Sinha.
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