Tapas Paul was arrested by CBI for his alleged role in the Rose Valley chit fund scam.
Once a star known for roles in popular Bengali films like Guru Dakshina and Dadar Kirti, Trinamool Congress lawmaker Tapas Paul will spend the New Year in jail. 58-year-old Mr Paul has been arrested by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) for his alleged role in the Rose Valley chit fund scam.
The lawmaker from Krishnanagar, who has had a controversial tenure in politics, was arrested within four hours of turning up at the CBI office in Salt Lake in Kolkata. Mr Paul, who was once a member of the Board of Directors in Rose Valley group, wasn't able to answer questions satisfactorily, a CBI officer said. He has been arrested for cheating, conspiracy and criminal breach of trust.
Mr Paul chose not to speak to the media while being escorted out of the CBI office. His wife however said, "I feel this is a conspiracy because the consequences of the reasons for which he has been arrested cannot be so harsh. Our leader is fighting and this is revenge for that.
West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee is calling Mr Paul's arrest vendetta politics for her protest against the cash ban. "Today is 50 days of demonetization. We are protesting so the arrest has happened. Let them arrest all my MPs, even me. I don't care. The biggest chit fund is the Pearl Group. How many times has Rose Valley hosted BJP leaders? How many times has Rose Valley hosted Roopa Ganguly and Babul Supriyo?" the Chief Minister said.
Sources in the CBI say Tapas Paul has been arrested because he is directly involved in the financial transactions of the Rose Valley group, transactions which the agency alleges are illegal and have been used to siphon off money deposited by small investors. After Rose Valley Chairman Gautam Kundu was arrested last year, the case seemed to have gone on the back burner. But last week, Rose Valley property worth Rs 1250 crore was seized.
The BJP hit back at Ms Banerjee. "Your MP has been arrested following the process of law. Mamata ji don't call it political vendetta. Just answer why the names of your MPs are surfacing in every chit fund scam," BJP's Siddharth Nath Singh said.
Senior Trinamool leader Sudip Bandopadhyay was summoned by the CBI at the same time as Tapas Paul. He has said he will go only after the New Year begins. He is currently holidaying in Digha and the focus is now on him.