Mamata Banerjee's inner circle may come under CBI lens

Kolkata: The CBI on Thursday arrested Shrikant Mohta, director and co-founder of West Bengal’s biggest film production company SVF, tightening the noose around the inner circles of Trinamool Congress.

Mohta is alleged to have entered into a Rs 25 crore “illegal” deal with the Rose Valley Group of companies, which is accused of running illegal money collection schemes.

Mohta had allegedly diverted the money to the fund of Jago Bangla, Trinamool Congress’ mouthpiece. The CBI also claimed that Mohta bought several paintings of West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee, spending lakhs of the “deal money” and influenced others to buy these paintings as well. Significantly, Mohta’s arrest is seen as the first action taken by the central agency in relation to the sale of CM Banerjee’s paintings and also its association with the ponzi scam. Mohta, who has been remanded to judicial custody by a Bhubaneswar court, is likely to record his confession, or statement, before a judicial magistrate under Section 164 of CrPC, said sources.

“The evidences are in place. The deal between Rose Valley group owner Gautam Kundu and SVF chief Shrikant Mohta is illegal as the colour of the money involved in the deal was black. Mohta was aware of the fact that Kundu was collecting the money from the depositors illegally,” said a senior official of the agency.

Sources in CBI said that the process of evaluating seized paintings of Banerjee has begun and the report will be placed soon.