LAGATAR24 NETWORK
Ranchi, Nov 1: The terror funding suspect and Durgapur-based businessman Sonu Agrawal has accidently been caught in the political crossfire in the high profile cash for PIL case where Kolkata-based businessman Amit Agrawal got Jharkhand High Court advocate Rajiv Kumar arrested.
Both are businessmen and operate from Bengal but have deep business and political interest in Jharkhand.
Even if Amit Agrawal managed to get the advocate arrested by the Kolkata police along with Rs 50 Lakh cash to discredit an ongoing shell company related to PIL 4290/21, it appears to have ultimately boomeranged upon him.
The Enforcement Directorate (ED) took this bribery case for investigation and arrested Amit Agrawal for hatching a conspiracy to allure Rajiv Kumar with bribes to get his name cleared in the PIL. The ED said that Amit Agrawal fraudulently contacted Rajiv Kumar through Sonu Agrawal and convinced him to come to Kolkata. It was Sonu Agrawal who had arranged flight tickets for Rajiv Kumar and his son Abheda on July 31. In the evening, the Kolkata police arrested Rajiv Kumar on the charge of bribery and extortion.
The ED filed a prosecution complaint against both Amit Agrawal and Rajiv Kumar. However, Amit Agrawal was a complainant in this case the ED is now prosecuting him as a prime accused. Sonu Agrawal is a key witness against Amit Agrawal.
Sonu Agrawal has long been associated with Rajiv Kumar and whenever he visited Kolkata, Sonu Agrawal arranged logistics and even accompanied him. Sonu Agrawal was arrested by the National Investigation Agency in 2020 for allegedly funding banned naxal outfit TPC in Jharkhand. Sonu Agrawal is a coal transporter who runs M/s Balaji Transport and Warehousing Pvt Ltd. He is also director of Jayshree Steel Pvt.
It is said that he was associated with two top IPS officers of Jharkhand. One of the IPS is no more now. When another IPS was facing problems it was Sonu Agrawal who bailed out the IPS officer out of crisis with the help of Amit Agrawal.
Sometime in last year Sonu Agrawal came close to Amit Agrawal who enjoyed a considerable clout in the Hemant Soren government. But when Amit Agrawal contacted Rajiv Kumar through him, Sonu Agrawal was not aware of his real intention. Even at the Quest Mall where Rajiv Kumar was arrested, Sonu Agrawal was present here. Sonu’s chat showed that he was shocked when the police arrested Rajiv Kumar and he never believed that a Marwari businessman would cheat another Marwari businessman.
After the arrest of the advocate, Sonu Agrawal had a heated conversation with Amit Agrawal which is revealed through their chat conversation. Sonu Agrawal accused Amit Agrawal of breaching his trust. He never wanted to involve himself in any political controversy. The ED has submitted this conversation as evidence to show that Amit Agrawal hatched a conspiracy to trap Rajiv Kumar with an ultimate objective to stop any adverse order from the court against him in this PIL where one of the companies has been named as a shell company. Sonu Agrawal’s statement may go against Amit Agrawal who admitted having introduced Amit Agrawal to Rajiv Kumar. Rajiv Kumar, on the other hand, said that Sonu Agrawal offered him to be the counsel of Amit Agrawal to fight one of his cases for which he will be paid suitably. Even his to-and-fro flight tickets to Kolkata and Ranchi were arranged by Sonu Agrawal.
