Heads have begun to roll in the CBI in the wake of the agency’s special director, Rakesh Asthana, expressing disappointment over the progress of the investigations into the Narada sting operation during his Kolkata visit, as the chief of the Kolkata unit of the CBI’s Anti-Corruption Branch (ACB), Abhay Singh, had been given his marching orders.

Abhoy Singh, a DIG-rank officer, has been transferred to Ranchi.

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CBI sources claimed that the transfer was a “routine” affair. “Nothing should be read into it as it was a routine affair,” said a source.

The development, however, came just two days after Rakesh Asthana is reported to have expressed his ire over the slow progress of the Narada probe, during his five-hour long meeting at Nizam Palace in the city on Wednesday.

The source also informed that the officer who will replace Singh is likely to be posted from the CBI’s own cadre. The development also came on the heels of what is reports of leakage of information relating to the probe into the Narada scam. This had a bearing on the slow progress of the probe, sources close to CBI said.

Asthana, who the sources claimed had expressed his ire over the lackadaisical approach of some of the officers, had indicated that some strong action was forthcoming.

Abhay Singh, the sources said, was pulled up for not being able to address differences among the officers over the sharing of information in the Narada case, which had put a spanner on the probe.

The agency has so far failed to file a single chargesheet in the Narada case in which an FIR against 13 leaders of the ruling Trinamul Congress had been filed.

Apart from Singh, another senior officer Ranjit Kumar, who was the IO in the Narada case, was learnt to have had his wings clipped after the special director did some tough talking about the slow progress of the probe.

It has also been learnt from reliable sources that Rakesh Asthana has recommended an increase in the number of officers posted in Kolkata after being told about the paucity of manpower in handling so many ponzi cases.

According to the sources, three or four more officers would now be added to the existing strength to complete the probe by December this year. With Asthana cracking the whip, the investigation into ponzi scams like Saradha, Rose Valley, Icore, Prayag, is now likely to get a new lease of life.