CBI asked to conclude Saradha, Narada probes
Probe into the now defunct deposit-taking companies have not progressed much, but the CBI is now expected to shift gears and might file final chargesheets in these cases
Kolkata: Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) special director Rakesh Asthana has asked officers, during a review meeting in Kolkata on Wednesday, to conclude investigations into the Saradha and Rose Valley groups within the next few months.
Investigations into the now defunct deposit-taking companies have not progressed much, but the agency is now expected to shift gears and might file final chargesheets in these cases before the 2019 general elections, according to a few officers, who asked not to be identified.
Asthana himself declined to comment on the outcome of the meeting in Kolkata.
The officers quoted above described his visit to Kolkata as an extraordinary move. Such review meetings usually take place at the CBI headquarters in New Delhi and Asthana had visited Kolkata to review the ground situation and assess everyone’s role, they said.
Asthana also reviewed the progress of the investigation into the Narada News sting operation, in which several leaders of the Trinamool Congress (TMC) were seen receiving cash. The CBI special director expressed disappointment with the progress of the investigation in this case as well, according to the officials quoted above.
Trinamool Congress leaders said the CBI is fast-tracking the investigations in view of the alleged involvement of key leaders of the TMC, said a party leader who asked not to be named.
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