By IANS
Kolkata : On the fourth day of their investigation Tuesday, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) interrogated Rizwanur Rahman’s widow Priyanka Todi and sent his SIM card, mobile phone and computer to a laboratory for examination.
“We have interrogated Priyanka Todi at an undisclosed location, not at CBI office or at her Salt Lake residence. She has given all the details to the CBI and we are looking into them,” CBI Special Crime Branch (SCB) joint director Arun Kumar told reporters at the West Bengal Criminal Investigation Department (CID) headquarters Bhabani Bhavan here.
It’s for the first time that Priyanka gave a statement to the investigators after the death of Rizwanur, who died under mysterious circumstances on Sep 21. She had earlier met representatives of the State Women’s Commission (SWC).
At that time she had reportedly told SWC members she was unsure whether Rizwanur’s death was a murder or suicide. Priyanka had also said while she was saddened at the loss of her husband, she wanted to move on in life. She gave a clean chit to police for their conduct saying, they never harassed her or her husband.
Kumar, who is heading the seven-member CBI team, said the agency had sent Rizwanur’s SIM card, mobile phone and computer used by him at his workplace to the laboratory for examination.
“We have taken the SIM card from the CID and will send it to the laboratory to check if any message has been deleted from it or not. We have also seized the computer used by him,” he said.
Kumar declined to divulge any details about the investigation, but said the central agency was probing all the aspects to ascertain whether it is a case of homicide or suicide.
“We have not detained anybody so far in connection with the case,” he said.
Meanwhile, Kumar went to state the CID headquarters and had a long meeting with Additional Director General of Police (CID) Bhupindar Singh.
He also met Special Inspector General of Police (CID) Niraj Narayan Pande.
A CBI team, along with a computer expert, visited Rizwanur’s workplace, Arena Multimedia, and examined his computer there. The CBI had visited the workplace on Monday and interrogated a few of Rizwanur’s friends and colleagues. However, they were unable to examine his computer then.
The body of Rizwanur, 30-year-old graphics designer, was found Sep 21 with his head smashed, barely a month after his marriage to Priyanka, daughter of Ashok Todi, owner of the multi-million-rupee Lux Cozi group.
The CBI officials also went to Patipukur railway track, the place where Rizwanur’s body was found, to re-examine the spot. They had visited the accident spot Saturday.
Interestingly, the CBI’s efforts at seeking information about Rizwanur Rahman from the general public came a cropper with both the numbers provided by the agency remaining switched off till Tuesday noon.
The numbers – 9433004834 and 09968081600 were displayed prominently in a leading vernacular newspaper.
On Monday, the team quizzed Ashok Todi’s brother Pradip Todi at the CBI’s Salt Lake office.
A former girlfriend of Rizwanur was also quizzed by women officials of the CBI.
The CBI team has also interrogated the driver and guard of the local train (Burdwan-Sealdah local) who first spotted the body of Rizwanur on the tracks on Sep 21.
Rizwanur’s relatives including brother Rukbanur, his wife and two cousins, 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 death were also questioned earlier.
On Wednesday, West Bengal Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharya removed five police officials, including Kolkata Police Commissioner Prasun Mukherjee, for their alleged collusion with Ashok Todi, and assured to cooperate with the CBI.
Ashok 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 Calcutta High Court had last Tuesday ordered a CBI inquiry into Rizwanur’s death terming the ongoing West Bengal CID investigation as “illegal”.