Himanta Biswa's wife summoned in Saradha case

BY OUR STAFF REPORTER

GUWAHATI, February 13: The long arm of the law is now tapping on the shoulder of former State minister Himanta Biswa Sarma's wife Riniki Bhuyan Sarma in connection with the multi-crore Saradha chit fund scam.

The Kolkata office of the Enforcement Directorate has summoned Riniki, maging director of the city-based Pride East Entertainment Pvt Ltd which owns satellite TV channel NewsLive, in connection with the case.  

Sources in the Enforcement Directorate's Guwahati office informed that Riniki was asked to be persolly present at the Directorate's Kolkata office instead of the Guwahati office due to security reasons. "Being a part of a high profile case and for security reasons, she has been asked to be present there on coming February 16," sources added.

In a tell-all letter to the CBI, Saradha boss Sudipta Sen had alleged that the television channel took a fat dotion from his chit fund company to organise the 'NewsLive Great Guwahati Run' event held last year.   

In the Saradha scam, Himanta Biswa Sarma was also summoned by the CBI to Kolkata last year. Days after denying that he had received any summons from the CBI in this case, Sarma appeared before the CBI's special crime branch office in Kolkata.

The premiere investigating agency of the country, which is probing the Saradha chit fund scam, had in August last year searched the residence of Sarma in the city, apart from also visiting the office of NewsLive which is headed by his wife Riniki.

Recently, the CBI also arrested former Congress MP Matang Sinh in Saradha chit fund scam.