The Central Bureau Of Investigation( CBI) probing the Narada case has written to the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) seeking help in pursuing Apple authorities on sharing information regarding the “i phone” used by the Narada CEO Mathew Samuel in his sting operation, an informed source of the CBI said.

The agency’s decision to seek external affairs ministry’s help came no sooner than Apple authorities’ had turned down its earlier request to share the information stored in the memory of the iphone used by Samuel to unravel the truth of the footage showing leaders of the ruling Trinamul Congress taking money in 2014 in a sting operation.

Earlier, the premier probe agency’s decision to write to the US company stemmed from the fact following Narada CEO’s statement recorded with the agency saying the entire operation was conducted with an Apple iphone and the information gathered then was stored in its memory.

Meanwhile, the agency has issued summons to KD Singh, Trinamul Rajya Sabha MP asking him to appear before it on Friday after Samuel had in his statement recorded by it had claimed that the former had financed the entire operation when he was in the Tahelka.com.

A CBI source claimed notwithstanding the Tahelkaowned by Singh had denied of having financed the sting operation conducted by the former, yesterday’s Interrogation of Narada CEO regarding nitty-gritty of the sting, however, threw light of the entire operation.

As the source claimed that Mathew Samuel had in his statement recorded yesterday claimed Rs 82 lakh was spent to conduct the sting operation.

This was done when he was still with the Tahelka in 2014- when the sting operation was originally conducted.

The Naradagate came to be surfaced on the eve of the 2016 Assembly polls, when a video footage purportedly showing leaders of the ruling Trinamul Congress was taking money in a bundle of cash.

The CBI got into the act after the Calcutta High Court had ordered the agency to probe the case. It had lodged an FIR against the 11 party top ranking leaders on their alleged involvement in taking money from Samuel who allegedly offered them the same masquerading as a businessman seeking favour to promote his business.