Rose Valley scam: CBI to interrogate Tripura minister on June 29

Kolkata (West Bengal) [India], June 24 (ANI): The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on Saturday issued notice to Tripura's Social Welfare and Social Education Minister Bijita Nath and asked her to be present at her Agartala residence on June 29 for interrogation. On Friday, former Enforcement Directorate (ED) officer Manoj Kumar was granted bail from the Bankshall Court on a furnishing of a bond of Rs.40,000 in connection with the Rose Valley scam. The Rose Valley scam is considered as the biggest Ponzi fraud in India in which thousands of small investors were allegedly cheated. Kumar had surrendered before a court in May and was placed in police custody for 10 days after his plea for bail was rejected by the Bankshall Court. He was charged for extortion, criminal conspiracy under the Prevention of Corruption Act. Trinamool Congress (TMC) MP Sudip Bandhopadhyay was also arrested by the CBI in the matter. The CBI had earlier on December 30 arrested TMC MP Tapas Paul for his alleged involvement in this scam. The actor-politician was a director in two companies of the Rose Valley, a leisure and entertainment group, that has been accused of illegally accumulating Rs.17,000 crores in small savings through a Ponzi scheme. The group has been under investigation for almost two years. (ANI)