Rajeev Kumar posted as principal secy in WB's IT Department
Former Kolkata Police commissioner Rajeev Kumar was on Thursday named principal secretary in the Information, Technology and the Electronics Department, by the West Bengal government. Kumar was previously posted as the Additional DG of state CID. According to an order issued by the state government, the IPS officer replaces Debasish Sen, who was holding additional charges of the department as the additional chief secretary.
Sen will now be the CMD of the West Bengal Housing Infrastructure Development Corporation Ltd (HIDCO) with an additional charge of Nabadiganta Industrial Township Authority as its chairman, the order said.
Kumar, an IPS officer, was part of a Special Investigation Team set up by the state government to investigate the Saradha chit fund scam, before the Supreme Court handed over the case to the CBI in 2014, along with other chit-fund cases.
The 1989-batch IPS officer was the Additional Director of the Crime Investigation Department (CID).
The Saradha group of companies allegedly duped lakhs of people to the tune of Rs 2,500 crore, promising higher rates of return on their investments.
The scam was unearthed in 2013 during Kumar's tenure as Bidhannagar police commissioner.
In February, Kumar was questioned by the CBI in connection with the case for over five days in Shillong on a Supreme Court order.
He is accused of destroying evidence related to the Saradha chit fund (Ponzi) scam when he headed the special investigation team of the West Bengal Police to probe the matter before it was transferred to the investigating agency.
Kumar was granted interim protection from arrest by the Calcutta High Court. The CBI had moved the apex court seeking cancellation of bail granted to Kumar.
Also Read | Supreme Court issues notice to ex-Kolkata top cop Rajeev Kumar in Saradha scam
Also Read | SC notice to IPS officer Rajeev Kumar on CBI's appeal challenging his anticipatory bail
