Rose Valley scam: TMC MP Sudip Bandyopadhyay sent to CBI custody

Bhubaneswar (Orissa) [India], Jan. 4 (ANI): Trinamool Congress (TMC) MP Sudip Bandyopadhyay, who was arrested in connection with the Rose Vallley chit fund scam, on Wednesday, was sent to the CBI custody in Bhubaneswar. The Lok Sabha lawmaker was arrested yesterday in Kolkata after he was summoned by the agency for questioning. Before being taken for the interrogation, Bandyopadhyay, took a veiled attack at the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), stating that he was arrested because of his opposition to the demonetisation drive. "This (arrest) is the result of my role in Lok Sabha," he said. Bandyopadhyay's arrest had unleashed intense clash between the BJP and TMC workers in various parts of West Bengal. Stone were pelted at the BJP's headquarters in Kolkata, leaving several of its workers injured. Furious at the arrest, TMC supremo and West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee alleged that it was a ploy by the BJP-led Centre, facing opposition post demonetisation. Expressing her ire over Bandyopadhyay's arrest, Mamata said that she would fight the battle legally and seek justice from the court. "Many political parties are scared, but are not able to speak out openly. A situation similar to Emergency is going on in the country," she said. On December 30 last year, actor-turned-politician Tapas Pal was arrested by the CBI for his alleged involvement in the scam. Pal's daughter Sohini too appeared before the CBI, for interrogation in Bhubaneswar. The Rose Valley scam is said to be seven times bigger than the Saradha scam. The West Bengal-based group allegedly robbed millions of investors, most of them from the low-income group, in at least 10 states by promising exaggerated returns. (ANI)