The Central Bureau of Investigation on Monday told the Calcutta High Court that former Kolkata Police Commissioner Rajeev Kumar did not appear before it on frivolous grounds, reported PTI. The agency is investigating the officer in connection with the multi-crore Saradha chit fund scam.

The CBI counsel told Justice Madhumati Mitra that Kumar had cited several reasons to postpone the date of his appearance before the investigating agency. Kumar, who is now additional director general of police and inspector general of police at the state’s Crime Investigation Department, currently has interim protection from arrest.

Kumar had moved the High Court seeking that the agency’s notice to appear before them in the investigation into the multi-crore scam be quashed. He has claimed that he was being singled out for questioning by the agency.

CBI lawyer YJ Dastoor refuted it and said several other senior officers have also been questioned in the case.

Kumar had headed the Special Investigation Team set up by West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee to investigate the scam before the Supreme Court handed over the case to the Central Bureau of Intelligence in 2014. The agency wanted to interrogate him as he reportedly gave evasive replies during questioning in Shillong in February.

Kumar is accused of tampering with crucial evidence in the case.

The Saradha company ran several ponzi schemes in West Bengal, allegedly defrauding lakhs of people. Thousands of crores of rupees were lost after the scheme collapsed in 2013. Its promoter Sudipta Sen was arrested the same year.

Now, follow and debate the day’s most significant stories on Scroll Exchange.