Following the face-off between CBI and Kolkata policemen outside city Police Commissioner's official residence, the central agency said it would move the Supreme Court, alleging the investigation in ponzi scam cases were being hindered and investigation officers were harassed.
"We are in touch with legal advisors on this. It's a Supreme Court ordered probe and every authority is supposed to follow the directions of the honourable court. We can move the Supreme Court on Monday," said a senior agency official, requesting anonymity.
There was a high drama in front of Kolkata police commissioner Rajeev Kumar's official residence on Loudon Street on Sunday as a group CBI officers approached the house, but they
were stopped by city police personnel, who also forcibly took the federal probe agency officers to a police station.
A senior Kolkata Police officer told reporters, "They told us that they were CBI officers and when asked to produce documents, they failed to submit these. They could not give us any satisfactory response," he said.
Refuting the claim, a CBI official said the agency had all the requisite documents.
"No one is in detention. We were not given any cooperation and have all the documents. Our officers came for the operations and we were taken to a police station forcibly. We sought police protection which was denied. They did not accept any request. We are intending to submit an application but they were not ready to accept it," said a CBI officer.
"They went there after completing all the legal requirements and they (city police) should have cooperated. Over last two years, we have been giving notices to police officers who were investigating in these (ponzi scheme) cases before the Supreme Court handed over the cases to us," CBI Joint Director Pankaj Srivastava said.
He alleged that several primary evidences were missing, and either they were "destructed" or "contrived".
"Several very primary evidences were missing and either they were destructed or contrived. So we wanted to question these people about where evidence has gone...for the last two years, the investigation in these were being interfered into and our officers were called to police stations for different cases and they were questioned and harassed. A lot of intimidation has been going on."
He said the federal agency had moved Supreme Court in 2017 and in July 2018, the court said that the agency should cooperate with the CBI.
"Despite that, no cooperation came forward. So our officers went there (CP's residence) to question him and they were stopped from entering the residences.
"On the order of the Supreme Court to investigate larger conspiracy involving in these cases, the agency has been investigating the case.
"We will move the Supreme Court," he said.
Srivastava also said the agency offices in the city and his residence here was surrounded by state police forces and following which, Central Police Force was called on for the safety of documents.
--IANS
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