CBI arrests director of Kolkata private firm in Tripura chit fund scam

New Delhi, Aug 12 The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has arrested one of the Directors of a chit fund firm, Kolkata, West Bengal, against whom a Non-Bailable Warrant (NBW) was issued last month by the Special Judge (CBI) in the Tripura chit fund case, the probe agency said on Tuesday.

The CBI on Monday arrested Partha Samaddar, one of the Directors of the accused chit fund firm M/s Himangini Infracon India Ltd, Kolkata, West Bengal, against whom an NBW was issued by Special Judge (CBI), West Tripura, Agartala on July 22 (2025) in the Tripura chit fund case.

The accused was not appearing in the trial court during the course of the trial, a CBI statement said. The central probe agency registered the instant case on March 14, 2023. The accused was one of the directors of the accused chit fund firm, which defrauded about Rs 25 lakh of public money (cheating, criminal breach of trust in furtherance of common intention, and fraudulently making default in repayment of deposits on maturity, along with benefits.)

After the investigation, a charge sheet was filed by the CBI on September 28, 2024, against the accused. The accused has been produced before the Magistrate Court, Kolkata, and the court has granted a transit remand for three days for producing him before the Special Judge (CBI), West Tripura, Agartala, in the Tripura chit fund case. The trial in the case is continuing.

Meanwhile, the CBI on February 7 this year arrested three absconding accused from Hyderabad, Hojai (Assam) and Vellore (Tamil Nadu) in connection with the Tripura chit-fund scam case.

The CBI sources had said that Minnatullah Barbhuiya was arrested in Hyderabad, Kamrul Islam Barbhuiya from Hojai (Assam), and Imdadullah Barbhuiya was arrested in Vellore (Tamil Nadu).

All three absconding accused are residents of Assam’s Hailakandi district. Minnatullah Barbhuiya and Kamrul Islam Barbhuiya are Directors of Kama (Indian) Projects and Services Ltd. The CBI had re-registered a case in pursuance of the notifications issued by the Tripura government and the government of India, by taking over three cases separately filed in West Agartala, Kumarghat and Teliamura police stations in September 2014, March 2013 and August 2012, respectively.

Sources said that the central probe agency took over the cases from Tripura Police to investigate the allegations of collection of huge money from the people and the investors assuring huge profit/return of invested money without having any authority from SEBI, RBI and other authorities and thus misappropriated the whole money by operators/management of M/s Kama (India) Projects and Services Ltd.

During the investigation, it was revealed that the prime accused persons -- Minnatullah and Kamrul Islam and Imdadullah -- who are the co-accused in criminal conspiracy and in misappropriation of public money, had not joined the investigation in the case to date and were absconding from their last known address and since long.

Hence, NBWs (Non-Bailable Warrants) were issued by a Special CBI Court in Agartala to apprehend and secure their presence in the investigation of the case.

The CBI on February 3 arrested another accused, Bikash Das, a resident of Assam's Hailakandi district, from Bhiwandi in Maharashtra, in connection with the Tripura chit fund scam case.

Das was wanted in two FIRs by the CBI, related to the alleged chit fund scam cases, referred to the CBI by the Tripura government.

Special CBI Judge Agartala earlier declared him a proclaimed offender, who had been absconding since 2013, and issued a standing warrant against him on August 16, 2024. The CBI had also announced a cash award of Rs 20,000 for apprehending him.

The chit fund scams in Tripura rocked the northeastern state for many years as many illegal chit fund companies under various controversial Ponzi schemes collected thousands of crores, duping thousands of people.

The Tripura High Court last year ordered a scheme to return money to the customers cheated by chit fund companies.

--IANS

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