Kolkata, March 30 (IANS) The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on Tuesday questioned alleged coal smuggling case kingpin Anup Majhi aka Lala for over eight hours and has asked him to appear again on April 1, sources said.
A CBI source related to the probe told IANS that Lala was questioned for over eight hours in connection with the case.
“He was questioned about his business and financial dealings with several people,” the source said, adding that Lala’s questioning will continue on April 1.
The action comes in the wake of a case registered in November last year involving alleged illegal coal pilferage.
The CBI last week questioned former Asanol Commissioner, Laxmi Narayan Meena for over three and half hours in connection with the case.
It had registered a case against the alleged kingpin of the pilferage racket, Eastern Coalfield Ltd General Managers Amit Kumar Dhar and Jayesh Chandra Rai, ECL chief of security Tan Das, area security inspector Kunustoria Dhananjay Rai, and SSI and security in-charge Kajora area Debashish Mukherjee last year.
The CBI also recorded the statement of Rujira Banerjee, wife of Trinamool Congress MP and Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee’s nephew Abhishek Banerjee and his sister-in-law Menka Gambhir in the last week of February.
The agency has recently carried out searches at several locations in the state, including at the premises of Ait Agarwal, a close aide of Majhi, raising the heat in poll-bound West Bengal, where the ruling Trinamool and the BJP are engaged in a bitter battle.
Polling to the 294-member West Bengal Assembly will be held in eight phases, with the first round held on March 27, and the others slated on April 1, 6, 10, 17, 22, 26 and 29. Results will be declared on May 2.
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