The Kolkata Police on Friday conducted raids at two different locations allegedly linked to former CBI interim director M Nageswara Rao’s wife Mannem Sandhya.
One of the location, where the raid was conducted, was a company called Angela Mercantile Pvt Ltd at Salt Lake.
Another was the Angela Mercantile’s office in Clive Row in the Dalhousie area of the city.
Rao has, however, has refuted any links with the company Angela Mercantile Pvt Ltd.
“There have been a series of transactions between the company and Mannem Sandhya (Nageswara Rao’s wife). We are looking into the matter,” a police officer told news agency PTI.
Denying any links, the former CBI interim chief issued a press statement saying, “In light of certain reports appearing in some media outlets, including some TV channels today linking my family members with a company on which Kolkata Police has carried out raids, I want to state that I had already clarified regarding this issue through a signed press statement on 30th October 2018,” he said.
“Due intimation was given to competent authorities about the borrowing of the property immediately. The question of any unaccounted money does not arise at all,” he said in the statement.
Speaking to news agency ANI on the alleged raids, M Nageswara Rao said that everything that was happening appeared to be a “propaganda”.
The development comes a day after the CBI summoned Kolkata police Commissioner Rajeev Kumar to appear before it in Shillong in connection with its probe into the Saradha chit fund scam.
The Supreme Court had directed Kumar to cooperate with the CBI in the probe.
Read | Kolkata police chief not to be arrested, orders SC, directs him to cooperate with CBI
The probe agency has claimed that Kolkata Police Commissioner had destroyed the evidence in the chit fund scam when he headed the SIT. It said the copies of call records handed over by SIT to CBI was doctored.
The agency said that when the investigation was being done by the SIT, crucial evidence such as laptops, mobile phones etc were handed over to the main accused in the Saradha scam case by the investigating officer of West Bengal Police. It said the “crime” was committed under the direct supervision of Rajeev Kumar.
An ugly face-off was witnessed between the CBI and the Kolkata Police on February 3, when a team of 40-odd CBI officers reached Kumar’s residence, and a team of Kolkata Police officers rushed there to inquire if they had the documents required to question the CP.
Later, a small team of the agency officials was taken to the Shakespeare Sarani police station for further discussions. Soon, more CBI men arrived at the Loudon Street home of Rajeev Kumar and a commotion ensued. Some CBI men were then bundled into police jeeps and taken to the police station.
After the CBI-police face-off, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee began a sit-in in front of the Metro Cinema to protest “insults” faced at the hands of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and BJP chief Amit Shah. She accused both the BJP leaders of organising a “coup” on West Bengal.