Saradha scam: Look out notice issued against former Kolkata police commissioner Rajeev Kumar on CBI's request

A look out notice has been issued against former Kolkata Police Commissioner Rajeev Kumar, an accused in the multi-crore Saradha chit fund scam, on the recommendation of the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) which is probing the matter. 

A look out circular is issued against a person directing the immigration authorities to ensure that he or she does not leave India through an airport or seaport. The Bureau of Immigration comes under the Union Home Ministry.

According to the lookout notice, Kumar is not allowed to leave the country for a year and will be detained and handed over to CBI if he tries to use airport or seaport to travel abroad.

Earlier on Friday, Kumar failed to get any relief from the Supreme Court which declined to entertain his petition seeking extension of protection from arrest in the multi-crore scam.

He was granted protection from arrest on May 17 by the apex court for seven days which was ending on Friday and he had filed a fresh petition seeking to restrain the CBI from taking any coercive action against him. 

The agency has said it needs to examine Kumar and other police officials to recover the material evidence and to investigate into the acts of omission and commission on the part of Bidhan Nagar police commissionerate and SIT officials in causing concealment of the evidence collected by them during investigation.

In its plea seeking SC permission to arrest Kumar, the CBI said in April that there were around 270 Ponzi firms operating in West Bengal of which Saradha and Rose Valley groups were the most important ones.

It said Saradha group collected around Rs 2,450 crore and even after the scam came to the fore, the Rose Valley group managed to collect around Rs 2,536.80 crore in 2013-14 from the public at large.

As former Bidhan Nagar Police Commissioner, Rajeev Kumar “by his inaction or otherwise facilitated Saradha Group to illegally operate and further collect Rs 805.77 crore during 2012-13 and Rose Valley Group to illegally operate and collect Rs 6865.85 crore during 2012-14“, the CBI had alleged. 

(With inputs from Zee News correspondent Vikram Das, PTI)