Former West Bengal IPS officer Bharati Ghosh's husband arrested in extortion case

Calcutta High Court witnessed high drama on Tuesday when former IPS officer Bharati Ghosh’s husband MAV Raju was arrested on charges of being involved in an ongoing extortion case. Raju is accused in the case along with his wife and five other police personnel. He had moved the court for an anticipatory bail which was rejected.

Bharati Ghosh, the prime accused in the case, is absconding. The case pertains to extortion to convert demonetised currency worth Rs 40 crore into jewellery.

Nishad Parvez, DIG, West Bengal CID, said, “Anticipatory bail case of MAV Raju, husband of Bharti Ghosh, in Daspur Police Station case number 27/18 has been rejected by the honourable High Court.” Raju is being questioned by CID sleuths at their Bhabani Bhavan headquarters in Kolkata and will be presented in Midnapur Court on Wednesday. There was no immediate response from the defence counsel.

MAV Raju, accompanied by his lawyers appeared at the Kolkata High Court at 1 pm on Tuesday before Justice Sanjeev Banerjee. Rejecting Raju’s anticipatory bail, Justice Banerjee observed that “police had ample reasons to arrest him” Raju was arrested from outside the court premises. 

The case came to light after a resident of Midnapur, Chandan Maji, on February 1, 2018, lodged a back-dated complaint alleging that some police officers had taken 375 grams of gold without paying him. Interestingly, this complaint was lodged a few weeks after Bharati Ghosh’s removal.

Subsequently, an investigation was ordered by the district court which resulted in West Bengal Criminal Investigation Department (CID) making a few arrests. The CID claimed that they found Rs 2.4 crore in cash and gold during the raids at premises in Kolkata and other location in the state allegedly owned by Ghosh, her husband and other police officers. The CID also claimed to have recovered some property papers in MAV Raju’s name and liquor worth Rs 35 lakh.

She has been denying all the charges made by the state CID. "The CID is trying to malign me under the instructions of the state government.” Ghosh claims her wealth was inherited from her father and it was not ill-gotten.

The CID had booked nine people in the case under sections 384 (punishment for extortion), 385 (putting person in fear of injury in order to commit extortion), 389 (putting person in fear of accusation of offence, in order to commit extortion), 119 (public servant concealing design to commit offence which it is his duty to prevent), 467 (forgery of valuable security, will, etc), 468 (forgery for the purpose of cheating), 471 (using as genuine a forged document) and 120B (criminal conspiracy) of Indian Penal Code, and Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988. Four police personnel who were arrested are now out on bail.

Ghosh was removed as West Midnapore SP in December 2017 following the allegations and was transferred to a less important post as commandant of the state armed police, pending investigation. She was once considered to be a close confidante of West Bengal Chief Minister and Trinamool Congress supremo Mamata Banerjee.

Ghosh had once famously described Mamata in a public meeting as the mother of Jangalmahal (the former Maoist-dominated districts of Midnapore, Bankura and Purulia) for ushering in peace in the area. She reportedly fell out with Mamata Banerjee after Mukul Roy, once Mamata’s deputy in Trinamool Congress, quit the party. As Roy joined the BJP, the Trinamool saw Ghosh helping him build his clout in the Jangalmahal area using state apparatus, and she was transferred from West Midnapore district.

(with inputs from Srabanti Saha)