CBI to grill former Tripura editor in Saradha scam

The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) is likely to grill Tripura-based former newspaper editor and owner Sushil Chowdhury in connection with Saradha scam, official said here Monday.

Chowdhury, 73, the former editor of Bengali daily 'Dainik Ganadoot', is presently serving a life term in Tripura central jail for killing three of his newspaper employees.

"Saradha chit fund chief Sudipta Sen had paid lakhs of rupees to Chowdhury. Hence, the CBI officials would quiz Chowdhury," a senior police officer told IANS on condition of anonymity.

The officer said : "Chowdhury was very close to Sen and the Tripura edition of 'Sakalbela', a now-defunct Bengali newspaper published by the Saradha group, was published from one of the houses owned by Chowdhury."

He said the CBI is trying to ascertain whether the financial dealings between Sen and Chowdhury were purely business deals or something else.

Saradha group had also initiated process to set up a bio-fertiliser unit at Surjyamaninagar (on the outskirts of Agartala) and purchased around 12-hectares of land and some cattle for the purpose.

After Assam, the Left Front government in Tripura had also asked CBI to probe into the unlawful activities of chit fund companies collecting crores of rupees from the public.