Agartala/Kolkata, May 13:
The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has arrested a proclaimed offender from Kolkata in connection with two major chit fund scam cases linked to Tripura, officials said on Wednesday.
The arrested accused has been identified as Sanjit Chakraborty, Chairman and Managing Director of M/s Cosmic Negociators Pvt. Ltd., Kolkata. According to the CBI, Chakraborty had been absconding since 2013 after cases were registered against him by Tripura Police in connection with alleged financial fraud involving public investments.
Officials said the accused was finally arrested in Kolkata on Tuesday after prolonged efforts involving field verification, technical surveillance, and intelligence analysis. The agency stated that Chakraborty had been evading arrest for nearly 13 years.
The cases were later taken over by the CBI following notifications issued by the Tripura government and the Central government under the Delhi Special Police Establishment (DSPE) Act, 1946.
According to the investigating agency, a charge sheet in the first case was filed in 2015 against Chakraborty and others for allegedly duping investors of nearly Rs 7.48 crore through fraudulent investment schemes. In another case, the CBI filed a charge sheet in 2024 accusing the same company and its officials of cheating investors of approximately Rs 27.13 lakh.
In both charge sheets, Chakraborty was shown as an absconding accused, officials said.
The CBI stated that after gathering crucial inputs through technical and physical surveillance, the accused was traced to Kolkata and subsequently arrested on May 12.
Officials said the arrested accused would be brought to Tripura after obtaining a transit warrant from the jurisdictional court in Kolkata. He is expected to be produced before the competent court in Tripura for further legal proceedings.
The agency also confirmed that further investigation into the cases is currently underway.
The chit fund scams had created massive controversy in Tripura over the past decade, with several illegal Ponzi companies allegedly collecting thousands of crores from unsuspecting investors across the state. Thousands of people were reportedly affected by the scams.
Earlier, the CBI had arrested several accused from different states, including Assam, Tamil Nadu, and Maharashtra, in connection with the chit fund cases.
In 2024, the Tripura High Court directed authorities to formulate a mechanism for returning money to investors allegedly cheated by chit fund companies.
