CBI summons Abhishek Banerjee’s wife in coal scam

Kolkata: A CBI team on Sunday visited TMC MP Abhishek Banerjee’s residence on Sunday morning and summoned Abhishek’s wife Rujira Narula and his sister-in-law over an alleged connection in the coal scam.

According to the CBI officials, some irregularities and huge transfer of foreign currency have been found in two bank accounts of Abhishek’s wife, one in London and the other one in Thailand.

According to sources, the officials had spoken with Rujira over the telephone and wanted to quiz her today itself either at CBI headquarters in Nizam Palace or at her residence.

Notably, in November, the CBI had registered an FIR against Anup Manjhi alias Lala, one of the suspected kingpins in the coal scam. Lala is also said to be a close aide of the TMC Diamond Harbour MP Abhishek Banerjee.

It is pertinent to mention that BJP leader Suvendu Adhikari from a public meeting on January 25 in Baruipur had shown a bank account statement of Kasikorn bank in Thailand and claimed that Lala had transferred several crore rupees to the bank account of Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee’s nephew’s wife.

Countering Suvendu’s claim, Abhishek on February 5 from a public rally in Kulpi in South 24 Parganas said that his wife has only bank account in Kolkata and nowhere else.

It is pertinent to mention that in 2019, Rujira was detained at the Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose International Airport for carrying gold without a declaration.

The BJP leaders had time-and-again claimed that Abhishek is an ‘extortionist’. A special court designated for MPs and MLAs had also asked Union Home Minister Amit Shah to be present before it on February 22 over his alleged comments on the ruling Trinamool Congress in 2018.