FIR against CBI officer for ‘threatening’ man summoned in coal theft scam

Banerjee is the MP of Diamond Harbour in South 24 Parganas district.The CBI also recently questioned TMC leader Saokat Molla, the MLA of Canning Purba constituency in the same district, in connection with the case.

An FIR was registered against a senior CBI officer on Tuesday for allegedly threatening a man who was questioned by the agency in connection with its investigation into the alleged coal theft from the mines of the Eastern Coalfields Ltd in West Bengal, officials said.

The man lodged a complaint in Bishnupur police station in South 24 Parganas district against the officer, following which the FIR was registered.

“A case has been lodged in Bishnupur police station against CBI officer Umesh Kumar by a person who was summoned by the CBI in the coal theft case. The complainant has alleged that he was threatened by the CBI officer,'' a police official said.

The CID may take over the investigation into the case, he said.

A CBI team had interrogated Trinamool Congress MP Abhishek Banerjee's wife twice at their residence in Kolkata in connection with the alleged scam. Banerjee is the MP of Diamond Harbour in South 24 Parganas district.

The CBI also recently questioned TMC leader Saokat Molla, the MLA of Canning Purba constituency in the same district, in connection with the case. The multi-crore coal pilferage scam is related to the Eastern Coalfields Ltd mines in West Bengal's Kunustoria and Kajora areas in Paschim Bardhaman district.

The CBI had registered an FIR in November 2020 against the alleged kingpin of the pilferage racket, Anup Majhi alias Lala, ECL general managers Amit Kumar Dhar and Jayesh Chandra Rai, ECL security chief Tanmay Das, Kunustoria area security inspector Dhananjay Rai and Kajor area security in-charge Debashish Mukherjee.