Guwahati, Feb. 18: Enforcement Directorate (ED) officials today interrogated Khyati Sardana, a close aide of former Union minister Matang Sinh, in Calcutta to investigate Sinh's dealings with the Saradha Group and to find out details of his properties in different parts of the country.

ED sources said Sardana was interrogated for about one-and-a-half hours this afternoon to learn more about Sinh's business transactions with Sudipta Sen, owner of Saradha Group.

Sardana's interrogation comes a day after ED grilled Riniki, wife of former Assam education and health minister Himanta Biswa Sarma. She is the chairman-cum-managing director of Pride East Entertainments Private Ltd. Yesterday, Riniki was questioned on Rs 2.74 crore paid by Saradha Group to her company.

The ED believes that Sardana was in the know of a deal between Sinh and Sen for sale of a Guwahati-based Bengali satellite TV channel for which Sen had allegedly paid Rs 28 crore to Sinh who did not return the money after the deal was cancelled.

Sinh is now in CBI custody after his arrest by the investigating agency on January 31, 2015. Sardana accompanied Sinh to the CBI office in Calcutta when he was arrested.

"During interrogation, she appeared nervous and denied much knowledge about the business transaction of companies owned by Sinh. She claimed she was mostly taking care of his health needs since Sinh was unwell for past several months," a source said.

Sardana was Sinh's "staff officer" and working with him for the last one-and-a-half years. The source said she rose from a moderate background of a model and a regular contestant of beauty pageants to a close aide of Matang and was a wannabe film actress who acted in a Bhojpuri movie, Leke Aaja Band Baja, along with Bhojpuri superstar Pawan Singh. The movie is now under production.

"We suspect that Matang could have invested money in the company Krisp Eximp Private Ltd which is producing the movie," the source said.

The investigating agencies are also trying to find out if Sardana knows anything about spycam footages of the Sen-Sinh's deal.

According to the source, Sinh used to capture every deal through spy cameras. All his houses are fitted with spy cameras, including those at Doctor Lane in Gol Market in Delhi and in Noida. He used to keep all spy camera footages stored in CDs. The source said the CDs will not only reveal Sinh's deal with Sen, but can be a source for several other deals which he did over the years. "Sardana was also grilled about Matang's property details and her job profile," the source added

The ED will also question another Sinh aide, Rupendranath Singh, who is his relative and a director in a firm owned by him, in connection with the agency's money laundering probe in the Saradha scam.

Sardana, ED officials claimed, was the assistant general manager in Sinh's company, Positive Media Group, which owns three TV channels and four radio stations. Sinh also owns NE Bangla channel through its holding company NE Television Pvt Ltd.

In his purported letter to the CBI, Sen alleged that Sinh took Rs 28 crore from him with the promise to hand over 50 per cent shares in NE Bangla, but the shares were neither given to him nor the money returned. The Saradha boss claimed that this Rs 28 crore, in post-dated cheques, is now with Guwahati-based businessman Rajesh Bajaj, said to be a Sinh confidant.

"We have asked her to turn up again with all relevant papers that would have details of Sinh's properties," said an ED official.

The CBI arrested Sinh on January 31 for his alleged involvement in the Saradha scam.

Additional reporting by our Special Correspondent in Calcutta