Saradha chit fund: Kolkata Police Commissioner tampered evidence, CBI tells SC

The CBI Tuesday alleged in the Supreme Court that Kolkata Police Commissioner Rajeev Kumar, who was leading the SIT probe into Saradha chit fund scam, tampered with the electronic evidence and handed over document to the agency some of which were "doctored".

The CBI also alleged that there was a "wilful" omission and commission by him and the Special Investigating Team (SIT) of which he was its functional head.

Attorney General K K Venugopal and Solicitor General Tushar Mehta submitted that Kumar was not cooperating in the investigation of chit fund cases, handed over to the CBI by the Supreme Court, and the SIT had not given the complete call data details.

"What was given to us were doctored copy of call records," the attorney general told a bench comprising Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi and Justices Deepak Gupta and Sanjeev Khanna.

The CBI alleged that the laptop and cellphones recovered from Sudipta Sen, Chairman of the Saradha and Rose Valley ponzy scheme by the SIT were not sent to forensic laboratory.

Those electronic devices were recovered from Sen, who was arrested from a place in Jammu and Kashmir after being absconder for a long time.

The agency alleged that call data was also erased and it was difficult to find out who called whom.

However, the allegations against Kumar were refuted by senior advocate A M Singhvi, who was appearing for the West Bengal Police.

He said that there was no destruction of evidence which the CBI is claiming after five years of investigation.

"Where is the destruction of evidence after five years. After five years no FIR against Kumar for destruction of evidence under section 201 of IPC has been lodged" Singhvi said.