Rujira Narula with son in lap faces ED grilling for 5 hrs

Rujira Narula Banerjee, the wife of Trinamool Congress' national general secretary, Abhishek Banerjee, on Thursday faced a marathon six hour questioning by Enforcement Directorate (ED) sleuths holding her two-and-a-half year-old son Ayansh.

She is being questioned in connection with the coal smuggling scam in West Bengal, which as per the estimates is to the tune of Rs 1,300 crore.

According to ED sources, Rujira Narula Banerjee reached central government office (CGO) complex at around 11.10 a.m. holding her son in her lap. She requested the investigating officials, who came from New Delhi on Thursday morning only, to allow her son to be present during the questioning session.

The ED officials allowed that on humanitarian ground. The investigating officials, source said, gave her timely breaks in between in view of the fact that her son was with her.

Sources said that Rujira was questioned mainly on two bank accounts, purportedly held by her, one in London and the another in Bangkok. She was specially questioned about the Bangkok- based bank account, where money was transferred by a Howrah- based chartered accountant, Neeraj Singh, who is currently absconding. The money transferred, according to ED sources, was from an India-based bank account after converting Indian rupee into Thai baht.

Apart from that she was also questioned about some mobile screenshots that the agency has recovered from the cellphones of other suspects in the coal smuggling scam.

Sources said that in most of the questions she either denied any knowledge or claimed to have been erased from her memory. Finally, at around 5 p.m. she left the ED office. A team of four officials of the ED that included a lady officer and led by joint director, Kapil Raj came from Delhi specially to interrogate Rujira Narula. They left for New Delhi on Thursday only. - IANS