Tripura govt to hand over all 74 chit fund cases to CBI

Agartala, April 27 (PTI): The Tripura government has decided to hand over to the CBI all 74 cases of chit fund scams which are now under investigation of a Special Investigation Team (SIT), an official release said. The CBI had prayed before the Tripura High Court earlier this year to take over 11 cases out of the total 74 related to chit fund scams. The release said the state government has no objection if the CBI takes over the 11 cases for investigation, and, moreover, it has decided to handover the remaining 63 cases also to the central probe agency. A Special Investigation Team (SIT) was formed by the Tripura High Court in 2015 to probe cases related to chit funds and non-banking financial companies. Head of the SIT and Inspector General of Police K V Srijesh said, "We have almost completed our investigation. Only seven-eight cases are pending. Now the state government has recommended all the cases to be taken up by the CBI. There is nothing much (to say) from our side." Former Social Welfare Minister Bijita Nath and ex-Finance Minister Badal Chowdhury were questioned by the CBI on Wednesday and yesterday respectively in the connection with the chit fund scam. Both the former ministers, now MLAs, said they were questioned as witnesses and the CBI gave in writing that they had cooperated with the agency during questioning. Asked whether he was involved in the chit fund scam, Chowdhury today said he would resign as MLA if any illegal property or his involvement in chit fund scam could be proved. He claimed that the Left Front government had proposed handing over 37 cases on chit fund scams to the CBI in 2014 but the agency accepted only five. The BJP led government was formed in Tripura last month after the CPI(M)-led Left Front was ousted from power after 25 years.