CBI Conducts Searches at Mahua Moitra's Houses, Krishnanagar Office; Seizes Laptop-Documents

The anti-corruption body Lokpal had earlier this week asked the central investigating agency CBI to probe the allegations against TMC leader Mahua Moitra and submit a report within six months. Subsequently, an FIR was filed against her on March 22, following which the raids were carried out on Saturday.

Kolkata (West Bengal): Trinamool Congress candidate from Krishnanagar Mahua Moitra is under CBI scanner. The central agency first landed in Mahua's father Dipendralal Moitra's Alipore flat in the morning and continued their search till 2.46 pm.

After that, the CBI sleuths raided Mahua's Krishnanagar office. She used to work from this office when she was an MP. Now she runs her campaign from here. A delegation of 6-7 people from CBI arrived at the party office in Krishnanagar around 3 pm on Saturday. It is learnt that the officers of the Central agency took printouts of several documents from several laptops and computers from her Alipore address before leaving at 2.46 pm. Later, the officers seized the printer machine. The CBI sleuths later recorded Mahua's mother's statement.

The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) conducted raids at multiple locations of Mahua Moitra including her father's residence in Alipore. Moitra's father's name has been linked in a recruitment corruption case in Delhi. CBI thus raided her flat in Krishnanagar and her father and businessman Dwipendra Lal Moitra's residence in Alipore.

Preliminary investigation indicated that money was credited to Dwipendra Lal from multiple bank accounts in connection with the recruitment corruption case in Delhi.

A team of six CBI officials along with members of the central forces left Nizam Palace for Alipore this morning to interrogate Dipendra Lal Moitra. The investigators had to wait under his flat for a long time before they could carry out their business.

The high-rise security guards told CBI officials that Dwipendra Lal Moitra was outside of Kolkata at the moment. "He is out on duty. However, his family lives on the ninth floor in the flat," guards said.

After a while, the CBI officers entered the flat and interrogated the family members and conducted a search in the house. Earlier this week, the Lokpal anti-corruption authority had requested that the CBI look into the accusations against Mahua Moitra and provide a report in six months.

"After careful evaluation and consideration of the entire material on record, there remains no doubt regarding the fact that the allegations leveled against the Respondent Public Servant (RPS), most of which are supported by cogent evidence, are extremely serious in nature, especially in view of the position held by her," Lokpal said in its order.

The leading investigative body acted in relation to the cash-for-query controversy, which caused Mahua Moitra to lose her Lok Sabha membership last year. This move comes a day after the CBI filed an FIR against the TMC leader on Friday, March 22.

Moitra is accused of accepting bribes from businessman Darshan Hiranandani in return for asking his questions in the Parliament. She is also accused of sharing her parliamentary login-credentials with the businessman.

She has however denied taking payments of any kind and claimed that she had given the businessman's employees her login information so they could type out her parliamentary questions on the official website.

The Central Investigation Agency has hinted at the state's connection with the black money case. Therefore, the detectives deem it necessary to interrogate Moitra's father and know why money was credited to his account.