CBI gets custody of singer Gogoi till Sept 20

Kolkata:  The police custody of Assamese singer Sadananda Gogoi, arrested last week in connection with the Saradha ponzi scheme scam, was on Wednesday extended till September 20 by a court here.
Gogoi, who was produced at the ACJM court in Alipore, was remanded in police custody though the Special Crime Branch of CBI, probing the scam, had prayed for five days.
The judge at the start of the hearing asked whether Gogoi was feeling inconvenienced in CBI custody as he was having a heart problem.
Gogoi’s counsel pleaded that since he was suffering from a cardiac problem and also diarhoeaa, he should be granted ad-interim bail by the court.
The counsel also assured the court that Gogoi would not move out of Salt Lake area where the CBI office is located.
The counsel said Gogoi was in no way connected with the Saradha misappropriation of funds case which CBI was investigating at Supreme Court’s direction.
Gogoi only charged a professional fee from Saradha for making an advertisement for it, the counsel argued.
The CBI counsel countered by saying that Gogoi’s name had cropped up twice while interrogating others and it was important that he be kept in custody in the interest of the probe.
The judge also ordered the investigating officer to give proper medical attention to Gogoi, who was arrested on September 13. (PTI)