VIJAY DEO JHA
Ranchi, Sept 19: A private travel and tour operator who booked flight tickets for Jharkhand High Court’s advocate Rajiv Kumar has told the Enforcement Directorate (ED) that one Vishnu Agrawal had told him to book the flight tickets.
Vishnu Agrawal who is said to be in his forties is a close associate of Sonu Agrawal. The controversial businessman Sonu Agrawal is a suspect of the National Investigation Agency in a terror funding case in Jharkhand.
However, the said travel operator during the questioning initially insisted that Rajiv Kumar asked him for the ticket. But when confronted with evidence he revealed the name of Vishnu Agrawal. The ED has confiscated his mobile phone.
The ED is said to have confiscated the mobile phone of Vishnu Agrawal as well and he has been questioned in this regard.
Reliable sources said that Vishnu Agrawal has revealed substantial information on whose instruction to-and-from Ranchi-Kolkata flight tickets of Rajiv Kumar and his son were booked.
The Kolkata police arrested Rajiv Kumar on July 31 in an extortion case along with Rs 50 lakh cash. The police accused Rajiv Kumar of extorting money from businessman Amit Agrawal for giving him relief from a shell company related to the PIL 4290/21 now pending before the Supreme Court. Rajiv Kumar was the advocate of Shiv Shankar Sharma who is petitioner in this case. While the Kolkata police are investigating this case, the ED lodged an ECIR as a huge amount was involved and an ED official was also summoned by the Kolkata police.
The ED summoned travel and tour operator Vishnu Agrawal following sustained questioning of Rajiv Kumar. The arrested advocate who is currently lodged at Birsa Munda Central Jail said that Sonu Agrawal had introduced him to Amit Agrawal. He denied having extorted money or demanded any extortion.
Rajiv Kumar claimed Sonu Agrawal booked his flight tickets and he offered him to be the counsel of Amit Agrawal to fight one of his cases for which he will be paid suitably. He said that he had no idea that Sonu Agrawal trapped him on the instruction of Amit Agrawal.
Rajiv Kumar claimed that on July 31 he visited Quest Mall along with his son and Sonu Agrawal to meet Amit Agrawal. He told the ED that before meeting Amit Agrawal, Sonu Agrawal cheered him up and said ‘ab to aapki life hi ban jayegi.’
He had a one-to-one meeting with Amit Agrawal. Rajiv Kumar said that after the meeting was over, he walked and sat inside his car. Amit Agrawal came close and put a bag in his hands stating he had carried a small gift for him. In the meantime, the police came and arrested him.
