Kolkata: Sudipta Sen, the millionaire whose Saradha group collapsed last month, and his associate Debjani Mukherjee were today sent to nine-day police custody by a Kolkata court.
The two were brought to the court premises early this morning to avoid possible protests by depositors and agents. There's heavy police deployment outside the court due to a big protest by the BJP workers.
Meanwhile, a Left delegation from Kolkata led by CPM's Surya Kanta Mishra is in Delhi today to meet Finance Minister P Chidambaram, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and President Pranab Mukherjee to press their demand for a CBI probe into the Saradha scam.
Mr Sen was arrested, along with two colleagues, from Jammu and Kashmir last month, days after he went missing as cheques from the chit fund that he ran began to bounce. The collapse of his business empire has left lakhs of small investors bereft of their savings.
Both Mr Sen and Ms Mukherjee are currently in Kolkata police custody. Police sources have said Mr Sen has been cooperative during his investigation and is divulging minute details about how he allegedly bribed politicians and officials across several states to ensure he could continue with the dodgy dealings that made him rich.
While he was underground, Mr Sen wrote an 18-page letter to the CBI naming 22 people, including top politicians, who he accused of using him to make money. Among them he named two MPs of the Trinamool Congress that rules West Bengal and accused them of blackmailing him. He said in his letter that he was on the verge of suicide.
West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and her MPs have vehemently denied any association with the chit fund that the Saradha group ran. But the opposition in Bengal has demanded that the investigation be handed over to the CBI.