Saradha scam: CBI strengthens probe team

KOLKATA: A Special Investigating Team (SIT) is set to replace another SIT.
Following the Supreme Court order handing the Saradha scam probe to the CBI, it seems the central agency too is looking to strengthen its team that may comprise people who have the technical expertise to handle the probe.
The probe team will be made up of not only financial auditors but lawyers and business institution experts who understand the company laws."The entire fraud happened because someone knew all tricks to try and use the loopholes in these laws to create an empire. We will need people who understand these laws. Obviously, the Economic Offences Wing of the CBI will be coordinating the entire probe," said a CBI source.
CBI is likely to start forming the team from Monday after it receives the official notification from the Supreme Court. The agency may register multiple FIRs but will study the chargesheets already placed to arrive at a number.
Ironically, CBI will set the ball rolling on the same day that the highest number of affected victims in this state will cast their votes in the Lok Sabha elections.
For the CBI, the biggest success was the probe into the Harshad Mehta scam and the economic offences involving stockbroker Ketan Parekh besides investigating the Satyam case in which it did file a chargesheet in 45 days but the case has been on trial for the past five years. In April 2009, September and November of the same year, the CBI filed three chargesheets in the case detailing the role of each of the accused in fudging the accounts, faking fixed deposits, invoices and customers - all to present a rosy balance sheet to the world outside. "We will analyze if a few members of that core team can join us yet again in this probe," the source said.