From Our Correspondent
GUWAHATI: Assam’s Health and Education Minister Dr Himanta Bishwa Sarma has vehemently denied having any links with the scam tainted chit fund operator Saradha Group whose chairman Sudipta Sen was arrested recently on charges of cheating investors across India including West Bengal and Assam.
The minister reacted to reported allegation made by Sudipta Sen in his letter to the CBI that
Sarma was one of those in Assam who had taken money from the Saradha group and his executives in the office signed vouchers on behalf of the minister.
Dr Sarma stated that he had already sent legal notice to the Saradha Group chief, Sudipta Sen,
regarding the baseless allegations made against him and would also file a case if the latter failed to reply to the legal notice on time.
It was reported that as per Sen’s letter to the CBI, Dr Sarma had taken about Rs 3 crore from Saradha group.
Regarding his presence at the inauguration of a biscuit factory owned by Saradha Group at
Dhubri in western Assam sometimes back, Dr Sarma said he had gone to their upon request of editors of two popular local Dailies in Assam which had entered into a business deal with Saradha Group.
Meanwhile, a team of CBI officials from New Delhi is coming to Assam on Tuesday in connection with initiating the process of investigation into various cases of duping of investors by chit fund companies including Saradha Group in Assam.
The CBI team headed by a joint director rank officer is coming at the request of Assam Home Department which is looked after by the chief minister Tarun Gogoi. The CBI team is expected to examine cases related to chit fund operations in the State that are now being handled by special investigation team of Assam Police.
There are a total of 222 cases that have been registered in various police stations in Assam against 128 chit fund companies and other non-banking financial companies operating in the state.