CBI grills Abhishek Banerjee's wife, might question her again

14:51 February 23

CBI grills Abhishek Banerjee's wife, might question her again

Rujira Banerjee and Abhishek Banerjee

Kolkata (West Bengal): A team of eight officials of the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), on Tuesday, interrogated Rujira Banerjee (Narula), wife of Trinamool Congress Lok Sabha member and West Bengal chief minister, Mamata Banerjee's nephew, Abhishek Banerjee, in connection to the agency's ongoing probe on coal smuggling scam in the state.

The CBI sleuths questioned Rujira Banerjee for a little over 90 minutes at her residence at Kalighat in South Kolkata. CBI sources said that the questioning was mainly pertaining to certain transactions and a money trail relating to her bank accounts which CBI sleuths believe to have links with the coal smuggling scam.

It is learnt that since this was the first day of the interrogation the investigating officers just asked her some preliminary questions. Sources further said that the investigating officers were not satisfied with the line of answering of Banerjee, who tried to avoid answering many of the questions. Sources further said that there might be fresh rounds of interrogation in the coming days and the duration of grilling might be longer.

Just 15 minutes before the CBI team reached Bandopadhyay's residence at around 11.50 PM, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee made an unscheduled visit to the same residence. However, her stay there was very brief for little less than 10 minutes.

Avishek Banerjee has already alleged that he and his family is being targeted by the BJP ahead of the state assembly polls. "...if they think they can use these ploys to intimidate us, they are mistaken. We are not the ones who would ever be cowed down", he said in a Twitter message.
Even the chief minister said that she is not frightened by any threat or intimidation. "I am scared of the threats of jail. I have overcome all such threats. I know how to fight," the chief minister has said.  

Sources said that the CBI officials will meet at Nizam Palace in the afternoon to discuss about the answers given by Abhishek's wife and accordingly decided the next course of their investigation. The CBI team remained tight-lipped after emerging out of Rujira's residence which is named Shantiniketan. The interrogation continued for about one hour and fifteen minutes.

The CBI had also summoned Rujira's sister Maneka Gambhir for interrogation. A CBI team, along with lady officials, had reached Maneka's high-rise residential complex at Panchashyar on Monday, at around 12 noon. The team, led by Umesh Kumar, had to wait at the main entrance for some time till they got permission to go up. Maneka stays at Upohar Luxury Complex (Tower-3) near Kolkata's EM Bypass. The interrogation of Maneka also went on for about three hours yesterday, sources said.

With Agency Inputs

11:33 February 23

CBI grills Abhishek Banerjee's wife, might question her again

Kolkata: In a surprise move, West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee on Tuesday visited her nephew and Trinamool Congress MP Abhishek Banerjee's home before CBI team's scheduled visit to question Abhishek's wife Rujira Banerjee in the alleged coal pilferage scam. Soon after Chief Minister left the Abhishek's residence, a CBI team reached there to question Rujira. 

The team of CBI officers arrived at the residence of Rujira in two vehicles. Banerjee, who arrived at Abhiahek's residence ahead of CBI team, stayed at his residence for over ten minutes.

Earlier, a team of CBI officials had visited the residence of Abhishek Banerjee on Sunday to deliver the summons but Rujira was not present. The agency asked her to join the probe.

She responded to the summons on Monday and asked the CBI to visit her residence between 11 am and 3 pm on Tuesday.

"Though I am unaware of the reason for me being called for questioning or the subject matter of the investigation, you may visit my residence as per your convenience between 11 am and 3 pm tomorrow, i.e. 23 February, 2021," Rujira said in a letter to CBI.

"You are requested to kindly inform me your schedule," she said.

Two woman officers of the CBI also visited the residence of Gambhir, Rujiras sister, and examined her for nearly three hours after a notice was served to her on Sunday, officials of the agency said.

The officers of the CBI's anti-corruption branch sought to ascertain her financial accounts, they said.

The developments took place ahead of the assembly election in West Bengal, which is likely to be held in April- May.

After the summonses were issued on Sunday, the TMC hit out the BJP-led central government alleging political vendetta, while the saffron party said that the TMC was trying to politicise the matter.

The CBI on November 28 last year carried out a massive search operation in a number of locations in four states -- West Bengal, Bihar, Jharkhand and Uttar Pradesh — after registering a case against one Anup Majee alias Lala.

It is alleged that Lala, the alleged kingpin of the scam, is involved in illegal mining and theft of coal from leasehold mines of ECL in Kunustoria and Kajora areas, sources said.

Premises of two general managers of ECL, three officers, unknown officials of ECL, CISF and Indian Railways were raided along with that of Majee on that day.