Ritabrata Banerjee appears before CID for interrogation in alleged rape case
Kolkata, Nov 7 (IBNS): Expelled CPI-M Rajya Sabha member� Ritabrata Banerjee on Tuesday appeared before the West Bengal Criminal Investigation Department (CID) for interrogation in connection with an alleged rape and cheating case, officials said.
After being summoned thrice by the state probe agency, Banerjee along with his two counsels, reached CID headquarter in Kolkata's Bhabani Bhaban in the afternoon.
According to sources, investigators of CID's Protection of Women & Children (POWC) Cell is currently quizzing Banerjee and recording his statements.
Earlier on Oct 5, Namrata Datta, a techie, who is a resident of Balurghat in West Bengal's South Dinajpur district, alleged that Banerjee had had sex with her several times in his Delhi residence in 2016 after promising her to marry.
Explaining the entire incident on micro-blogging site Twitter, the software engineer lodged a complaint at Balurghat Police Station on Tuesday (Oct 10).
After completing preliminary investigations, police converted the complaint into an FIR and framed charges under several IPC sections, including 417, 376(2)/(n), 214, 354, 506 and 509.
Medical tests of Namrata Dutta were done in Balurghat Hospital and she recorded her statements before South Dinajpur District Court's Judicial Magistrate(2nd Court), Aminur Rahaman, under CrPC section 164.
Later, West Bengal Criminal Investigation Department (CID) took over the probe and summoned Ritabrata Banerjee while Delhi Police are also investigating the matter.
Banerjee had appealed for an anticipatory bail in Balurghat court and the court on Friday (Nov 3) granted a conditional anticipatory bail to the expelled CPI-M leader.
The court also directed Banerjee to surrender in three weeks and to cooperate with the probe agency.
Banerjee, however, denied all allegations against him and claimed that the entire matter is a conspiracy against him to malign his image.
He also lodged a complaint against the woman at Garfa Police Station in Kolkata on Oct 9.
(Reporting by Deepayan Sinha)
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