 "CBI")
The Central Bureau of Investigation on Saturday arrested the chairperson of Halisahar Municipality and Trinamool Congress leader Raju Sahani, in Kolkata and took him for five days' custody in an ongoing investigation related with a chit fund case.
The arrest took place after the Chief Judicial Magistrate court in West Bengal's Asansol remanded the chairperson today.
As per an official statement by the CBI, searches were conducted on Friday at as many as eight places in West Bengal including Durgapur, Kolkata, and the nearby places, of which four were related to the Raju Sahani.
"During searches, cash with worth approximately Rs 80,00,000 and documents relating to investment of Rs 2.75 crore (approx) in three immovable and movable properties in West Bengal and Bangalore; documents relating to General power of attorney of 56 Kathas of land; a Laptop; a pistol along with a magazine with five live bullets and several other incriminating documents including blank signed pads and stamps of different Contractors/other persons, documents related to group companies of Trust and details of transactions of Rs 1.5 crore (approx) with Chairman of Trust were recovered from the premises of said accused," the CBI statement said.
It further informed that some incriminating documents were also recovered during the searches at four places related with some other persons in Durgapur.
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Documents recovered during searches are being scrutinised, it said.
The CBI had registered the instant case on October 30, 2018 against five accused related to a Trust on the Supreme Court's order dated May 9, 2014 and took over the investigation in the matter which was earlier registered with the State police.
"It was alleged that the complainant had deposited some money in various schemes of the said trust in his name as well as in the names of other persons, said CBI adding that it was further alleged that the accused did not pay them either their maturity or invested amount rather threatened (the complainant) with dire consequences, if he moved any forum.
Thus, the accused cheated the complainant and others and misappropriated their invested amount.
A chargesheet and further supplementary chargesheet were filed in the court of CJM, Asansol on December 31, 2020 and March 5, 2022 against the accused including the private company for allegedly misappropriating the amount of approximately Rs 11,29,82,300 from the gullible investors.
The CBI added further that during the investigation, amount of Rs 20 lakh (approx) was found to be allegedly transferred in the account of a firm of said arrested accused from a Group company of the Trust.
"It was alleged that this amount was out of investment made by poor investors with the said Trust, from where the funds were further transferred in the said company. It was further alleged that the Chairman of the Trust was running an illegal business of collection of deposits from public without statutory permission of the regulatory authorities," it read further underscoring that the chairman was absconding since then.
It had also been alleged that the arrested accused had harboured the Chairman of Trust in his house during 2018-19 and facilitated him to open a Bank Account in the year 2018 which he later used to deposit the sale proceeds of a Trust property and routed the sale proceeds of around Rs 75 lakh to the account of said arrested accused.
"This was allegedly done to facilitate the said Chairman to misappropriate the sale proceeds of the property which was purchased from the funds of investors who made their investment with the Trust on being induced by the Trustees. The amount was allegedly transferred in the account of arrested accused," it said
Further investigation in the matter is underway.
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