A 15 member team of Kolkata police conducted raids at two different locations alleged to be connected with former Interim CBI Director M Nageswara Rao. The police conducted raids at two offices of M/s Angelina Mercantile Pvt Ltd, one at Kolkata and the other at Salt Lake. It is alleged that the company is linked to Nageswara Rao’s wife.
West Bengal: Kolkata police conducting raids at two different places of former CBI Director; one location is in Kolkata & the other at former CBI Interim Director M Nageshwar Rao’s wife’s company Angelina Mercantile Pvt Ltd at Salt Lake. pic.twitter.com/YwaGdieDXy
— ANI (@ANI) February 8, 2019
The raids were clearly done as a revenge on the CBI officer for trying to question Kolkata police commissioner for his role in the chit fund scam. But now Nageswara Rao has issued a press statement saying his wife does not have any connection with M/s Angelina Mercantile Pvt Ltd.
Former interim CBI chief M Nageshwar Rao issues a press statement, refuting any link with M/s Angela Mercantile Pvt Ltd which is being raided by Kolkata Police today. pic.twitter.com/g9RfW3Yl4c
— ANI (@ANI) February 8, 2019
In the statement, Rao says that his wife had taken a loan from M/s Angelina Mercantile Pvt Ltd. for purchase of an immovable property. Later, she sold two plots of ancestral property and sent the proceeds to the company, as a repayment for the loan with interest, and the balance amount was kept as an investment by the company. 3 years later, the investment amount was returned to Rao’s wife along with interest, and after that, there was no link between her and the company, Nageshwar Rao clarifies.
The former interim director of CBI further added that details of all the transactions were submitted with the competent authority. He also said that all the details of properties of him and his family have been submitted in his annual property returns for all the years and the same can be downloaded from the Ministry of Home Affairs website,
He called the raids being conducted by the Kolkata police as propaganda.
Former Interim CBI chief Nageshwar Rao to ANI on raids taking place in Kolkata today: All that is happening, appears to be propaganda.
In a statement dated, 30 Oct 2018, Rao had also refuted any link with M/s Angela Mercantile Pvt Ltd which is being raided by Kolkata Police today https://t.co/xHMxL2SUKJ— ANI (@ANI) February 8, 2019
The allegations of improper dealings with the company were raised in October last year also, after he was appointed as interim director of CBI. He had dismissed the allegations as incorrect and untrue and had issued a statement on October 30 saying that the transactions and investments made by him or his wife have been submitted before the competent authorities. He had given the same details that he has issued today.
On February 5, the Supreme Court had directed Kolkata police commissioner Rajeev Kumar to make him available for investigation by CBI, in a massive setback to Mamata Banerjee who was preventing CBI from questioning the IPS officer. A CBI team will question Rajeev Kumar on 9th February in Shillong. The Supreme Court had selected Shillong as a neutral venue for the quiestioning.
