Former TMC leader Kunal Ghosh and Kolkata top cop Rajeev Kumar likely to come face-to-face on Day 2 of Saradha scam CBI probe. LIVE updates

CBI began interrogating former TMC MP Kunal Ghosh from 10 AM on February 10, pertaining to the Day 2 of the Saradha chit fund scam, a day after TMC supremo Mamata Banerjee's top cop Police Commissioner Rajeev Kumar was called in to be grilled by the investigative agency two days after the Supreme Court directed him to "faithfully" cooperate with the investigation.

Ghosh, who is now suspended from his party is expected to come face-to-face with the Police Commissioner, Shillong on Sunday for a joint investigation.

On his way to the CBI office, Ghosh spoke to the media and ascertained his cooperation with CBI saying, "All along I have cooperated with the investigating agency, and so I came to CBI office."

Three senior CBI officers questioned Kumar for nearly nine hours on February 9 about his alleged role in the tampering of crucial evidence in the scam, the officials said.

Ghosh who headed the Saradha's media division made some staggering revelation during the Republic sting alleging serious charges on Rajeev Kumar in the multi-crore scam, accusing him of distorting and destroying evidence.  He had also alleged that the TMC had seized Sudipto Sen, the Chairman and MD of Saradha Group's property after he went underground.

Following the Republic sting, CBI summoned him for further examination of the case. 

The Supreme Court on Tuesday had given a go-ahead to CBI to probe the Kolkata Commissioner of Police Rajeev Kumar in the Saradha chit-fund scam.

The CBI had approached the Apex Court after the Mamata Banerjee government had blocked the agency's officers on Sunday from investigating Kolkata CP Rajeev Kumar in the Saradha chit fund scam, and the chief minister of West Bengal sat on 'dharna' 

The three-judge bench comprising of CJI Ranjan Gogoi, Justice Deepak Gupta and Justice Sanjeev Khanna took up the matter on Tuesday and ruled that Rajeev Kumar should make himself available in front of the CBI for investigation, though, the investigative agency cannot arrest him at the present moment.

Further, the apex court ruled that the meeting between the Kolkata CP and CBI will take place in Shillong. 

It also issued notices to West Bengal Chief Secretary, the DGP, and Rajeev Kumar in relation to the contempt of court plea by the Attorney General KK Venugopal, who was representing the CBI.

What is Saradha scam?
The Saradha scam was a major financial fraud which lured lakhs of investors to deposit money in its schemes with glossy brochures and the promise of abnormally high returns. An official estimate says Saradha had mopped up about Rs. 1200 crore through its chit funds, but some calculations put that the figure is closer to Rs. 4000 crore. The company collapsed in April 2013

Following the joint-interrogation, Police Commissioner Rajeev Kumar has left CBI office for lunch and is expected to return while former TMC leader Kunal Ghosh is still inside. 

While the joint-investigation is still underway, according to Republic sources, CBI closely scrutinised the seizures made by SIT.

12 hard drives were seized from Saradha Company's DN-29, Salt Lake office. However the CCTV footage hasn’t been handed over to CBI.
 

Investigation widens. CBI IO Shojan Sherpa in the Rose Valley scam reaches Shillong.