GUWAHATI, Sept 1 � The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) is likely to summon several influential persons from the State to Kolkata soon for questioning in connection with the Saradha chit fund scam.
Sources in the CBI told The Assam Tribune that the materials collected during the recent raids in Assam are now being examined by the investigating officers of the Bureau and the persons whose houses were raided, are likely to be summoned to Kolkata for questioning shortly. �The materials collected during the raids are being examined. The findings in those materials and the confessions of the persons already questioned will form the basis of the next round of questioning,� sources said.
The CBI has already raided the residences and offices of former Ministers Himanta Biswa Sarma and Anjan Dutta, former Union Minister Matang Singh, former Director General of Assam Police Sankar Baruah and others in connection with the chit fund scam and all of them are likely to be questioned by the Bureau soon.
Sources said that so far only three persons from the State � singer Sadananda Gogoi, businessman Rahul Bajaj and Monoranjana Singh � were questioned by the CBI in Kolkata.
Bureau sources said during questioning Saradha group chief Sudipto Sen claimed that he had paid �protection money� to several influential persons of Assam including political leaders and police officers when the company was doing business in the State and his confessions and the materials collected during the course of the investigations formed the basis of the investigations in Assam. The CBI still believes that Sadananda Gogoi was involved in introducing the Saradha group chief to several political leaders and police officers. However, sources refused to divulge the details of the confessions of Gogoi during three days of questioning in Kolkata.
Meanwhile, Himanta Biswa Sarma, who was not present in the State when the CBI raided his house, returned to the city today and claimed that he was not involved in the scam. He welcomed the CBI probe into the chit fund scam and said he was ready to face questioning by the Bureau.
