Bidhannagar police on Tuesday recorded the statements of some staff members of the I-PAC office in connection with the raid conducted there by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) last week.
Sources in the police said officers from the investigating team questioned at least two officials of I-PAC, the political consultancy firm that works closely with the Trinamool Congress.
The questioning was part of an effort to piece together events surrounding the January 8 raid.
On that day, ED officials had carried out simultaneous raids at multiple locations, including the I-PAC office located on the 11th floor of a building in Salt Lake’s Sector V, as well as the Loudon Street residence of I-PAC chief Pratik Jain. The raids were in connection with an alleged illegal coal mining case in Bengal.
Police sources said statements were recorded from two I-PAC officials and a guard of the office building.
According to an officer of Bidhannagar city police, those questioned were asked in detail about the developments on January 8, including who arrived at the office first, who left at different points, and what activities took place in between.
The same day, another ED team was conducting a search at Jain’s home. During that operation, chief minister Mamata Banerjee allegedly disrupted the raid by making an entry into the premises while the ED was at work. She reportedly took away documents and hard disks, saying they contained sensitive information related to her political party.
Following the incident, the chief minister lodged two specific complaints against the ED and central forces, one at Shakespeare Sarani police station and another at the Electronic Complex police station. In the complaints, she accused the central agency of trespassing and theft.
The ED moved Calcutta High Court the following day, seeking redress and demanding possession of the documents and electronic devices that Mamata allegedly took away. The hearing is likely to be on Wednesday.
Two senior officers — one each from Kolkata Police and Bidhannagar Police Commissionerate — met state advocate-general Kishore Datta on Tuesday evening. The meeting was held to discuss and update him on the details of their findings and the progress of the investigation. On Wednesday, the advocate-general is expected to represent the state before the high court.
