Police may seek arrest warrant against Samuel

Dwaipayan Ghosh TOI, Jun 27, 2016, Kolkata: The Kolkata Police probe in to the Narada sting has picked up pace - and more importantly has taken a direction. In the first reference of hardening of stance, Lalbazar has claimed that it was "looking at legal avenues" if its second summons to the Narada CEO Mathew Samuel - which it plans to send later this week - is not responded to. The first summons had asked Samuel to "join investigations at the earliest", but he remained silent on the exact date to join the probe.

This, claimed sources, could lead to a prayer before the court seeking an arrest warrant against him. However, understanding the gravity of the situation, the police don't not want to rush in to any action. 

"Whatever we do we will keep our lawyers posted on our findings and vet our every move," claimed a source. Samuel, on his part, said that he, too, was consulting his lawyers to draft his reply to the summons issued to him via an email.

In another development, a senior IPS officer has made it clear that they have no plans yet to summon a politician or an IPS officer in the case. "We will first question Samuel and based on his statement we will decide the next course of action," said the officer. Meanwhile, days after issuing notices to the tour operators, who had booked tickets for Samuel to Kolkata to carry out the sting operation and the hotels where he had stayed, the economic offences wing of the detective department now plans to send notices to banks to ascertain the source of money that was used to carry out the sting operation.

The Narada probe will also see cops writing to the central agencies to help them track Samuel's investments both inside and outside the country. "We are collecting evidence and so far we feel we are on the right track," said an officer. The sleuths have already shot off a letter to the company whose server was used to host the sting footage. The detective department wants to know who paid for the entire operation.

Sources also claimed that with Calcutta high court setting them a one-month deadline to submit the findings, they will be contacting the Chandigarh CFSL within a week with the Narada tapes after its counterpart in Hyderabad expressed its inability to analyse the genuineness of the recordings purportedly showing people resembling senior Trinamool leaders allegedly taking money.

Sources, though, insisted that both travel agents contacted so far have told them that Samuel had made visits to Kolkata a number of times and that he had insisted on where he would be putting up. Samuel, currently in Dubai, said, "I have received the e-mail. I will be consulting my lawyers and decide on the next step." Samuel had earlier questioned the probe given the fact that he has already submitted the original tapes to CFSL, Hyderabad on the HC's directions.

Kolkata Police issued the summon through the official email id of the Narada portal. The email communication from Kolkata Police has asked Samuel to appear "before the police in person immediately." Sources insisted they had tried calling up Samuel too to inform him but the editor in chief of the portal had reportedly not picked up the call. The Kolkata Police has been tasked by chief minister Mamata Banerjee to probe the Narada sting. An FIR was later filed by Mayor Sovan Chatterjee's wife Ratna alleging malice and defamation. The case was transferred to the Detective Department for probe.