TMC chief Mamata Banerjee with nephew Abhishek Banerjee
Hours after the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI)'s notice, TMC MP Abhishek Banerjee's wife Rujira responded to the summons in the alleged coal pilferage scam and asked the central agency to send its team to her residence in Kolkata for interrogation tomorrow (i.e, on Tuesday).
In her reply, Rujira said that she is available to answer queries tomorrow between 11 am and 3 pm. "Though I am unaware of the reason for me being called for questioning or the subject matter of the investigation, you may visit my residence as per your convenience between 11 am and 3 pm tomorrow, i.e. 23 February 2021," she said in her letter to CBI.
She has also requested the CBI team to inform her about their schedule.
On Sunday, a CBI officials team had visited the residence of Abhishek Banerjee, a nephew of West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, to deliver the summons but Rujira was not present.
The central agency had asked her to join the investigation in the coal scam case. CBI had also issued summons to TMC leader Abhishek Banerjee’s sister-in-law Maneka Gambhir in connection with the case.
The CBI is probing a multi-crore coal scam in Bengal wherein the agency is investigating two kingpins -- Anup Majhi alias Lala, and Binay Mishra. Both are absconding and have been named by the agency as proclaimed offenders. The investigating agency has issued a look-out notice against both of them.
At a public rally, BJP leader Suvendu Adhikari had claimed that Lala used to transfer money to Abhishek's wife Rujira Narula Banerjee's bank account. He alleged that Lala transferred Rs 1.5 lakh Thai currency daily to Rujira's bank account in Bangkok. Meanwhile, the CBI is probing if Rujira had any business relations with Lala.
Reacting to the CBI notice, Abhishek Banerjee said he has full faith in the law of the land, and would not be "cowed down" by the "ploys".
"At 2 pm today, the CBI served a notice in the name of my wife. We have full faith in the law of the land. However, if they think they can use these ploys to intimidate us, they are mistaken. We are not the ones who would ever be cowed down," tweeted TMC leader Abhishek Banerjee earlier on Sunday.
ALSO READ | CBI serves notice to Abhishek Banerjee's wife, sister-in-law in coal pilferage case
