CBI knocks at TMC leader Manas Bhunia's Kolkata office in chit fund scam probe
The visit comes hours after TMC minister Manas Bhunia didn't turn up at CBI office for questioning in the ICore chit fund scam case.
The Central Bureau of Innvestigation (CBI) sleuths on Monday went to the office of senior Trinamool Congress (TMC) leader Manas Bhunia in Kolkata to quiz him in connection with its probe into the ICore chit fund scam case.
The visit by the CBI officers to Bhunia's office at Food and Supplies department in the afternoon came hours after the TMC leader refused to turn up at central probe agency's office at Salt Lake in Kolkata in connection to the chit fund scam case.
Bhunia, who is the state irrigation and waterways minister, expressed his inability to visit the CBI office citing waterlogged streets owing to incessant rain and thunderstorms since the previous night.
The summons to Bhunia also came almost a week after the CBI questioned another prominent TMC leader, Partha Chatterjee, for almost two hours in connection with the case.
The CBI arrested the ICore group’s chief, Anukul Maity, in 2015 on the charge of illegally mobilising ₹3,000 crore from small investors. Maity who faced money laundering charges was in prison in Bhubaneswar till his death in November last year.
The CBI officials reportedly quizzed Bhunia for two hours and recorded his statements on why he attended an event of the ICore group and if he had any finacial dealings with the firm.
The I-Core sponsored event in question was held in 2011, the year Trinamool Congress (TMC) party came to power.
Bhunia vacated the Rajya Sabha seat after winning the assembly polls from Sabang in West Midnapore district in May, prompting the Trinamool to nominate Sushmita Dev, who recently joined the Mamata Banerjee-led party after quitting the Congress, for the Rajya Sabha bypolls.
Bhunia joined the Trinamool Congress in 2016 quitting Congress after a long association since 1969.