The former police commissioner Rajeev Kumar today sought more time to appear before the CBI sleuths in connection with the Rose Valley scam for which the central agency has earlier issued a notice on him. The agency has asked him to be present at its office at 11 am today. The agency intensified its raid to track down Kumar. A source close to the investigation agency said the former police commissioner sought more time on the ground that he was on leave till 30 September.
The CBI officials today expressed dismay over the five-day extension to his leave. A source in the CBI said the agency could use it as a “substantial proof of “non-cooperation” on the part of the former city police chief. A team of officers of the central agency today again visited 34 Park Street residence of Kumar and quizzed his wife Sanchita Kumar. The source claimed that the visit was a part of the investigation and was done to exert pressure on Mrs Kumar. The former Kolkata police commissioner Rajeev Kumar today filed an anticipatory bail petition before the Calcutta High Court, days after a district court rejected his prayer.
The plea is likely to be moved by Kumar’s lawyers before a division bench of the High Court on Tuesday. A CBI lawyer said the agency has been served a copy of the petition by Kumar’s counsel. Kumar, who is now the Additional Director General in the Criminal Investigation Department (CID), had on Saturday suffered a setback in Alipore district sessions court which dismissed his anticipatory bail plea.
The CBI had claimed that Kumar is not cooperating with it in the probe and had been evading appearance before its investigation team on frivolous grounds. Countering the assertion, the senior IPS officer’s counsel said he is not a fugitive and has taken leave from September one to 25. On Thursday, the central probe agency had moved the court of Additional Chief Judicial Magistrate (ACJM), seeking arrest warrant against Kumar.
The court had, however, told the CBI that it does not need its warrant as the Supreme Court and the Calcutta High Court have already lifted bar on his arrest in the chit fund case. Prior to that, Kumar had approached the Barasat district court for pre-arrest bail, but it disposed of his application on the grounds that it did not have jurisdiction in the matter, as the case was registered at Alipore court.