KOLKATA: West Bengal Crime Investigation Department (CID) is preparing to summon a BJP MP for interrogation to probe the lawmaker’s alleged role in the Jalpaiguri child trafficking racket. A summon notice may soon be sent to the MP, according to CID sources.
Sources revealed that the BJP lawmaker’s name had cropped up during interrogation of prime accused school teacher-turned-alleged trafficker Chandana Chakraborty as well as former BJP leader Juhee Choudhury.
According to the state investigating agency, the lawmaker-- who is yet to be named-- had allegedly lobbied for Chandana in the power corridors of North Block and was the one who advised Juhee Choudhury to go into hiding in Nepal and to keep her cellphone switched off to avoid getting tracked.
Juhee and Chandana had allegedly met the BJP MP in Kolkata in January first week for opening four new shelter homes in north Bengal.
Meanwhile, CID is on a lookout for Juhee’s father Rabindra Narayan Choudhury, who went into hiding after his daughter was nabbed near the Indo-Nepal international border on February 28. Rabindra Narayan was a senior state BJP leader until he was removed from his post along with his daughter, who was the general secretary of Mahila Morcha, on March 1. CID hopes to arrest him soon.
The investigating agency has claimed that Juhee’s father had lobbied with the top BJP MP to influence Central Adoption Resource Authority (CARA) for more central funds to Chandana’s shelter homes and approvals for four new shelter homes in north Bengal. Accordingly, he had fixed the appointment of Juhee and Chandana with the BJP MP, CID has claimed. The agency has also alleged that a sizeable amount of central funds meant for Chandana’s shelter homes also landed in Rabindra Narayan’s account as commission for lobbying.
On the other hand, CID sources have revealed that Juhee had received Rs 5 lakh from Chandana six months ago. While Chandana’s six bank accounts have already been frozen, Juhee’s bank details are under scrutiny. The agency has claimed that several big money transfers from Singapore, United States and France have been found in Chandana’s accounts.