Former police officer Bharati Ghosh gets summons, for questioning, in an extortion racket
She once called Mamata Banerjee her mother. But now, promotee IPS officer Bharati Ghosh, who quit over a posting on January 2, that was a clear demotion, is now a suspect in a gold extortion racket and the West Bengal police have issued a notice to her on Monday, summoning her for questioning by Tuesday.
The issue has now turned overtly political. The Bhartiya Janata Party, which has come out in Ms Ghosh's support, is fanning rumours that she may have very explosive files in her possession about the death of Maoist leader Kishanji in a police encounter in November 2011.
"The speculation is that Ms Ghosh has some files that could get Trinamool into big trouble, said BJP chief of West Bengal, Dilip Ghosh. He hinted that the BJP may talk to the ex-police officer, if she was keen on joining the party.
Trinamool leader Partha Chatterjee said, "A government officer was not doing her job... and now, with BJP's stand on the issue, the cat is out of the bag."
The West Bengal Crime Investigation Department (CID) issued a notice on Monday, to Ms Ghosh for her alleged connection with a gold extortion case.
The notice comes two days after the CID conducted state wide raids at several locations, including the house of the former police superintendent of West Midnapore and her husband's home in Kolkata.
Ms Ghosh's husband, on Monday, went to Calcutta High Court, seeking a CBI enquiry into the matter. Meanwhile, CID arrested the caretaker of Ms Ghosh's bungalow, in Midnapore, on Monday for alleged links with the extortion 'scam'.
Ms Ghosh and her aides came under the CID scanner following a complaint by Chandan Majhi, a gold trader, who alleged that several senior officers had converted their money into gold through him during demonetisation, but they did not pay him back the equivalent amount.
According to sources, CID recovered a total amount of Rs 60 lakh and 2 kg gold during a raid on February 2; also the officer-in-charge of Belda police station, Pradip Rath, was arrested for possessing a huge quantity of gold in his house. Several other officers close to Ms Ghosh also had to face the heat.
Bharati Ghosh, who was out of Bengal at the time of the raid, circulated voice messages complaining, that "CID carried out the raid without proper papers, my husband was locked in a room while the whole house was rampaged. After returning to Kolkata, I will take all legal steps available to a citizen."
Once Mamata Banerjee's "cop daughter", a fallout seems to have started during the Sabang assembly by elections late last year. Trinamool won the election but the candidate's husband, a Trinamool lawmaker, was apparently unhappy with Ms Ghosh's role.
TMC minister Subhendu Adhikari was also reportedly displeased with Ms Ghosh. Another cause of her fall from grace was her reported links with Mukul Roy, once Ms Banerjee's right hand man who has now joined the BJP.