Former ED officer remanded to police custody till May 12
Manoj Kumar, an assistant director of Enforcement Directorate who was transferred back to customs following his alleged involvement in the Rose Valley scam, was sent to police custody for nine days by a Kolkata court in a case of extortion filed against him by a city-based chartered accountant.
Following an order of the Supreme Court, Kumar surrendered to City Sessions court. He was sent to police custody till May 12.
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After the court order, Kumar was taken to Shakespeare Sarani police station for interrogation.
The police complaint against the officer was filed by Kamal Somani. The accused officer first approached Calcutta high court first and then the Supreme Court for anticipatory bail applications, but was turned down on both counts.
In the court on Wednesday lawyers of Kolkata Police alleged that Kumar has got high-value property mainly in Uttar Pradesh and Bihar.
Earlier this year, ED, the investment arm of the Union finance ministry, removed him from the post of assistant director after a CCTV footage purportedly showed him with Subhra Kundu, wife of Rose Valley Group chief, Gautam Kundu at a hotel at New Delhi. Gautam Kundu is in CBI custody in Bhubaneswar. Kumar was in the team that was investigating the Rose Valley scam.
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The police sourced this video footage from a file named “Madam Rose Valley” at a computer while the cops were investigating on a hawala trail against the group.
However, Kumar said that the tape was doctored and it was just floated by the local police authorities to trap him. Soon after the tape came to limelight, ED not removed him.
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Soon after that the said chartered accountant filed a case of extortion against Kumar.
Meanwhile, city police sources said that investigating officers have found evidence that support the extortion charges.