Kolkata: The Kolkata Police, probing an alleged multi-crore fake Durga Puja pass scam linked to festival tours organised around the UNESCO-tagged celebration, may summon the wife and daughter of arrested former West Bengal Minister Indranil Sen for a second round of questioning.
Sen’s wife, Madhuchhanda Sen, and daughter, Averi Sen, have already been questioned once each at the city police headquarters in Lalbazar, Central Kolkata. However, police sources said their initial statements failed to answer several questions satisfactorily, prompting investigators to consider questioning both again.
A police source said, however, the reasons for seeking further clarification from Madhuchhanda and Averi were different.
“The statements made by the former minister and his wife regarding their respective roles in ‘Mass Art’, the entity through which the fake passes were allegedly sold, have been completely contradictory. While the former minister claimed that he had no role in the day-to-day operations of ‘Mass Art’, his wife maintained that although the entity was officially registered in her name, she had no decision-making authority and that all major decisions were taken by her husband,” the police source said.
However, according to the police source, both Sen and his wife have consistently named one individual, Dhurbojyoti Basu, as the person responsible for handling the operational activities of ‘Mass Art’.
Investigators are now seeking greater clarity on the respective roles played by the former minister, his wife and Basu in the functioning of the entity. This has prompted them to consider another round of questioning of Madhuchhanda Sen to reconcile the contradictory statements and establish who exercised actual control over its operations.
The proposed second round of interrogation of Averi Sen, meanwhile, is linked to financial transactions involving two other entities, ‘iScape’ and ‘Mayra’, which were reportedly controlled by her.
Another city police source said the investigation had revealed frequent transfers of funds to the bank accounts of these two entities. However, during her first round of questioning at Lalbazar on November 2, Averi allegedly failed to provide satisfactory explanations for the transactions or establish the reasons behind the repeated transfer of funds.
Investigators are, therefore, seeking further clarification from her regarding the financial transactions and the nature of the two entities’ involvement, the source added.
A singer-turned-politician, Indranil Sen, had served as West Bengal Tourism Minister and Minister of State for Information and Cultural Affairs. He is currently in police custody and is scheduled to be produced before a city court again on November 10.
Both the Kolkata Police and the Enforcement Directorate (ED) are conducting parallel investigations into the alleged multi-crore fake Durga Puja pass scam involving festival tours organised around the UNESCO-tagged celebration. The financial transactions and the alleged roles of individuals associated with ‘Mass Art’ are among the aspects under scrutiny.
(IANS)
