KOLKATA: The CBI took arrested IPS officer SMH Mirza to senior BJP leader Mukul Roy’s residence in Kolkata on Sunday where money was allegedly handed over to the then Trinamool leader, who later defected to the BJP.
According to the CBI sources, Mirza said during interrogation that he had handed over the money to Roy at his Elgin Road residence. "We took Mirza to Roy’s second-floor apartment to reconstruct the event in presence of Roy. Investigations revealed Mirza handed over Rs 1.7 crore to Roy, part of which was collected from Narada News portal," said a CBI officer.
The CBI decided to visit Roy’s house after interrogating him and Mirza fate-to-face on Saturday at its Salt Lake office. Roy was interrogated for over two hours.
In the sting operation tapes that was uploaded in the news portal in 2016, ahead of the assembly polls in Bengal, several persons resembling senior Trinamool Congress MPs, MLAs and leaders were seen accepting money from the representatives of a fictitious company in return for favours. Roy, in the tapes, was seen asking a representative to go to Burdwan and Mirza. The then superintendent of police, Burdwan district, was seen receiving cash Rs 5 lakh sitting on the veranda of his official bungalow in Burdwan town.
Mirza had apparently claimed in the video that he was receiving the cash on Roy’s instructions.
On Sunday, the CBI sleuths video graphed the entire reconstruction, right from Mirza entering the compound of the housing complex, taking the lift and entering Roy’s apartment. A team of 10 CBI officers accompanied him. "Roy was in his apartment and we asked them to take the same place where they were sitting while the money was handed over," said a CBI officer.
According to CBI sources, Roy was informed about reconstruction. "He agreed to co-operate with us and this was why we took Mirza to his apartment," said the CBI officer.
When asked why he has been brought to Roy’s residence, Mirza said, "I am here to reconstruct the crime scene." He, however, further refused to disclose the amount of cash that he had handed over to Roy, saying, "You please ask the investigating officer."