Kolkata: Rose Valley chief's wife questioned for three hours

KOLKATA: Kolkata police questioned Rose Valley boss Gautam Kundu’s wide Subhra Kundu for over three hours on Wednesday at her posh south Kolkata residence. Police sources said that her residence was searched too.
The police have sought certain important documents from Subhra in relation to this case. Cops suspect that she might have tried to transfer over Rs 15 crore outside India, a charge she denied during questioning.Sources maintained she might be questioned again in the future after they complete analyzing some important documents.
The development comes on the same day that Enforcement Directorate’s assistant director Manoj Kumar was questioned by ED at CGO about his exact links with Subhra. He was also asked if she received any favours on his behalf, a charge denied by the officer. A special team is likely to travel to Kolkata from its headquarters to probe Kumar’s alleged links with Subhra.
It is still not certain when Kolkata police plans to question Kumar. “We have not yet sent a notice asking him to join the probe,” said Vishal Garg, joint CP (crime). Top sources though maintained that a decision will be taken after consulting lawyers and making sure that there are no legal loopholes in this case.
Kumar, who has been overseeing the probe for the past one and a half years, was spotted with Rose Valley boss Gautam Kundu's wife Subhra at Kolkata airport and a Delhi hotel in CCTV footage and was removed as the investigating officer by ED. Kumar though remained confident even on Wednesday. “They should look at all the files I have handled so far to ascertain if I have done anything wrong. I am open to scrutiny,” he said.
Behind the hectic questioning and searches at Subhra’s residence – which the police said was in pursuance to its investigation of a hawala trail – there were massive informal parlays within the administrative circles. Sources said the top ED officials were in constant touch with Lalbazar in this regard. ED officials were especially interested in ascertaining if Kumar’s name has directly cropped up in the police FIR and the exact sections slapped in the original FIR. They also informed ED how the debit card of another person accused in a case probed by ED paid the hotel rent for Kumar and Subhra.
Sources in Lalbazar said that they informed ED that the probe was initiated after three arrests at Mangoe Lane and a hawala money trail worth Rs 1.42 crore was busted by the police. It was here that cops got hold of two files — Rose Valley and Madam Rose Valley – kept secured in a laptop. These led them to track Subhra and gather the footage, sources said. Lalbazar officers said they have certain new evidences from Delhi that might prove to be crucial to the case later.