By IANS
Kolkata : The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) Monday visited the workplace of murdered computer graphics designer Rizwanur Rahman and interrogated some of his friends and colleagues. They also quizzed the brother of his father-in-law Ashok Todi.
The CBI investigation team interrogated four faculty members of Arena Multimedia, where Rizwanur used to work, and questioned Arena’s director A.D. Singh. However, the officers could not open Rizwanur’s computer, as there was no computer expert in their team.
They quizzed industrialist Ashok Todi’s brother Pradip Todi at the CBI’s Salt Lake office. The probe team, which filed a murder case against Ashok Todi on Friday, began its investigations here on Saturday.
“We called Pradip Todi and asked him a few questions. His statement has been recorded and we are examining it,” CBI Special Crime Branch (SCB) joint director Arun Kumar, who is spearheading the seven-member CBI investigation team, told reporters here.
He said the CBI has examined the post-mortem report of Rizwanur and taken a copy. “We have been divided into two groups in investigating the case,” he said.
He, however, declined to say if any name of the Kolkata police had figured in Pradip Todi’s statement.
“I can’t divulge investigation details but if any police official’s name figures in course of the investigation he would be called,” Kumar said.
The body of Rizwanur, 30, was found on Sep 21 with his head smashed, barely a month after his marriage to Priyanka Todi, daughter of industrialist Ashok Todi.
On Sunday, the CBI team interrogated the driver and guard of the local train (Burdwan-Sealdah local) who had first spotted the body of Rizwanur by the track.
A railway police employee, some relatives, including brother Rukbanur and his wife and two cousin brothers, human rights activist Sujato Bhadra, and an 18-year-old student of Rizwanur who was one of the last people he had spoken to before his body was found were also questioned earlier.
Five police officials, including Kolkata Police Commissioner Prasun Mukherjee, were transferred for their alleged collusion with Todi following public outcry.
While the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) interrogated the tainted cops it left the Todi’s largely untouched except for initial summons by the CID. The agency also has not registered any case against Ashok Todi.
The CBI, however, began its probe with a murder case against Todi, who owns the multi-million-rupee Lux Cozi group.
Todi had allegedly threatened his son-in-law with dire consequences and put serious pressure on him through the police to annul the marriage.
The high court had last Tuesday ordered a CBI inquiry into Rizwanur’s death terming the ongoing West Bengal CID investigation as “illegal”.
Faced with a court rebuke and public protests, West Bengal Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharya last Wednesday removed the five police officials for their alleged collusion with Todi, and assured to cooperate with the CBI.