Trinamool Congress national general secretary Abhishek Banerjee skipped a third summons from the CID on Tuesday. Even before the deadline for his appearance expired, a CID team reached his Camac Street office and searched for documents linked to an alleged signature fraud case involving several Trinamool MLAs.
The agency had sent the third summons to Abhishek on Monday, directing him to appear for questioning by 5pm on Tuesday.
The CID is probing an allegation that the signatures of several Trinamool MLAs were forged on an official document, submitted in the Assembly, nominating Sobhandeb Chattopadhyay as the leader of the Opposition.
A complaint was filed at Hare Street police station. CID later took over the probe.
Abhishek, who has been in Delhi with party chief Mamata Banerjee since Sunday, later wrote to the CID seeking more time, citing a petition he has filed in Calcutta High Court challenging the summons. The matter is scheduled to be heard on Wednesday.
The CID’s visit to Abhishek’s Camac Street office was part of a coordinated move, with a separate team arriving at the party’s office on Harish Chatterjee Street, within the compound of the former chief minister’s Kalighat house. Abhishek’s office is on the first floor of the multi-storied Haldiram Building on 9 Camac Street.
The CID team faced resistance from the staff after reaching the Camac Street office.
The CID team was allowed entry after officers from Shakespeare Sarani police station spoke with the staff.
The CID videographed the operation. The search was aimed at collecting documentary evidence linked to the ongoing probe.
“Some MLAs have claimed their signatures were collected from the party office in their absence. Since the letter to the Assembly Speaker bears Abhishek’s signature, we searched both locations where those signatures may have been obtained,” a senior CID officer said.
The agency has formed a four-member probe team, which sparked a rebellion by dissident MLAs seeking to form a “real Trinamool bloc” in the Assembly.
“He has not responded to the summons thrice. We will consult our legal team and senior officers before deciding on the next step,” an officer said.
Sources in the state CID said the agency had informally contacted the Calcutta airport authorities seeking information about Abhishek Banerjee’s travel details.