Rajeev Kumar not cooperating in ponzi scam probe: CBI

Kolkata, Sep 17 (IANS) The CBI on Tuesday said senior IPS officer Rajeev Kumar, now under its scanner in connection with the Saradha ponzi scam probe, was not cooperating in the investigation.

"Not so far. No, not till now," Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) Joint Director Pankaj Srivastava told the media when asked whether Kumar was cooperating in the probe.

Srivastava asked the media to keep its eyes on the proceedings in court regarding the case.

Kumar has moved a plea for anticipatory bail before a district sessions court while the CBI has prayed for issue of a non-bailable arrest warrant against the former city top cop alleging that he was evading questioning and disregarding summons sent to him for appearing before the investigators.

Kumar, who headed the special investigation team (SIT) constituted by the Mamata Banerjee government in 2013 to probe the Saradha scam, is accused of tampering with evidence in this case.

The Supreme Court, in May 2014, handed over the case to the CBI.

The CBI is seeking Kumar's custodial interrogation, arguing that certain documents seized by the SIT during the initial investigation into the scam was not handed over to it.

In a jolt to the Indian Police Service (IPS) officer, the High Court on Friday withdrew his interim protection, giving the CBI an immediate chance to ask him to appear before the agency in connection with the ponzi scam probe that saw thousands of people lose their hard earned money and some being pushed to take the extreme step of ending their lives.

Since then, the CBI has summoned Kumar twice, but he is yet to appear before the Central agency sleuths.