Calcutta, Feb 25: The directorate of revenue intelligence (DRI) had issued a red alert on jute baron Arun Bajoria in January, when he did not respond to summons served by the enforcement directorate, according to sources. Bajoria has denied that he went underground after the Supreme Court turned down his anticipatory bail plea on November 28 last year.The ED arrested Bajoria last Saturday on charges of violating the Foreign Exchange Regulation Act.Sources close to the jute baron have said that he did not get any summons from the ED for interrogation, and nor did he go underground during the period November 28 last year to January 31 this year, when he admitted himself to a nursing home here.The red alert was issued on January 9 by P K Katiya, the assistant director (Int.) of the DRI. ED sources told The Financial Express that red alert notices are not issued at the drop of a hat."There is a certain procedure and also a fixed time period. If a person is not available within that period for necessaryinterrogations and other official purposes, mostly for investigations, then a red alert notice is issued to caution the ports, airports and land border stations so that he does not flee from the country," sources added.
It was also learnt that ED officials from Calcutta have repeatedly and regularly visited the residence of Bajoria and even the top executives of Hooghly Jute Mills Ltd, Bajoria's flagship jute unit."I distinctly remember that I have visited the house of Arun Kumar Bajoria repeatedly and at all sorts of hours. We also visited the residences of a number of top executives of Hooghly Jute Mills. Regarding summons, I must say that that they were certainly issued and one occasion it was received by one of his three daughters but in none of the occasions they disclosed the whereabouts of Bajoria," ED sources said.Police sources said that red alert notices are generally issued only after ordinary summons fail to work.
However, Bajoria in his letter to the Delhi-based director of ED (dated January27, 1997), said that he was ill during this period, never went underground and no summons were issued against his name barring one."There is another allegation by Fera that after the order of the Supreme Court, I had gone underground and was absconding. I do not know how can they say I was underground, particularly when they did not issue any summons. Only one summon was issued and that too at my request but they did not give sufficient time as requested by me. During this period I was under severe mental depression and was in no position to face the coercion and tortures of Fera, if I would have gone to their office on my own accord," Bajoria said in the letter.
Copyright(c)1998 Indian Express Newspapers (Bombay) Ltd.
