Grilled in Saradha scam by CBI, former Assam DGP commits suicide

Baruah was interrogated by Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) sleuths two weeks ago in connection with the multi-crore Saradha chit fund scam case.

According to media reports, Baruah’s family members found the former DGP dead in his room.

Prima facie, police suspect it’s a case of suicide.

Media reported, ex-DGP Baruah shot himself with his revolver.

His 90-year-old mother was reportedly present in the house. 

A suicide note was reported to have been recovered from his room.

Allegations against Baruah were that he took huge money from Sudipta Sen-owned Saradha firms.

He allegedly provided security to Saradha Group chief Sudipta Sen in his personal capacity.

The former IPS officer allegedly used to demand protection money from the Saradha Group.

CBI raided his house earlier on August 28 along with 20 other locations and then CBI officials had taken the former DGP to a State Bank of India branch near his house and examined his bank accounts, media reported.

After that he was summoned by the central investigating agency for questioning.

It has been learnt that, after grilling him for hours, the CBI found him “guilty”.

Baruah, a 1974 cadre IPS officer had been admitted to hospital for the last three days and was released from hospital on Wednesday morning.

Reports emerged, he was suffering from depression.

The scam, wherein lakhs of investors in West Bengal and other states were defrauded of thousands of crores through illegal money pooling activities, came to light early last year.

The scam was reported to have spread in West Bengal, Assam and Odisha.

Saradha Group chief Sudipta Sen and Saradha Group director Debjani Mukherjee were arrested in April 2013 from Jammu and Kashmir.

He was absconding since Saradha Group collapsed.

The duo is now in jail in the ponzi scam. Sen had claimed that he was blackmailed and used by politicians mainly from Banerjee's Trinamool Congress.

In May this year, the Supreme Court had handed over the Saradha chit fund scam probe to the CBI and asked the state governments to co-operate.

Since then, the central probe agency along with Enforcement Directorate (ED) had questioned many high profile personalities including political leaders, businessmen and celebrities.

Another former IPS officer, West Bengal’s ex-DGP (Armed Forces) Rajat Majumdar is now in CBI’s custody in this case.

The CBI has till now registered 48 cases, including four in West Bengal and 44 in Odisha.