Priyanka’s Words
Rizwanur case: CBI interrogates Priyanka Todi
News Source: Hindusthan Times, Nov 1
The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) Thursday interrogated Priyanka Todi for the second time in connection with the mysterious death of her husband Rizwanur Rahman in September.
A three-member women’s team went to her Salt Lake residence around 9 am and questioned her for three hours, a day after her father, industrialist Ashok Todi, was interrogated by CBI sleuths for 10 hours.
The CBI had earlier questioned Priyanka at her uncle Pradip Todi’s house on Oct 23, almost a month after her husband, 30-year-old graphics designer Rizwanur Rahman, was found dead on railway tracks Sep 21.
Officer-in-charge of Kolkata Police’s anti-rowdy section Sadhan Sinha, who had allegedly threatened Rizwanur, was summoned to the CBI’s Nizam Palace office and questioned about his alleged involvement in the case. Association for Protection of Democratic Rights (APDR) member Sudipto Sen was also quizzed.
Both Sinha and Sen were interrogated by CBI Deputy Inspector General (DIG) Satish Golcha for about two hours.
Rizwanur had been in touch with the APDR before his death and had given a written complaint of harassment by top cops.
Cricketer Sourav Ganguly’s brother Snehasish, who is a director in Todi’s company Lux Cozi, was also called in for questioning Wednesday. Todi’s brother Pradip and nephew Anil Saraogi were questioned, too. So was Trinamool Congress legislator Javed Khan, a senior CBI official told reporters.
Ganguly had earlier admitted to introducing the industrialist to former police commissioner and Cricket Association of Bengal (CAB) president Prasun Mukherjee – removed from his post following the controversy over the death of Rizwanur, who was found dead with his head smashed barely a month after his marriage to Priyanka.
Mukherjee is also likely to face CBI interrogation, sources said.
Priyanka: Dad wasn’t critical
News Source: The Telegraph, Nov 2
Calcutta, Nov. 1: A CBI team this morning took Priyanka Todi’s two aunts to Ashok Todi’s Salt Lake home and spent nearly four hours there.
The aunts — Shobha Todi and Bela Murarka — had repeatedly requested Priyanka to return to her parents, according to Rizwanur Rahman’s family.
While interviewing the two women, who also live in Salt Lake, the CBI officers spoke to Priyanka for the second time.
A CBI officer said the team found some inconsistencies between the statements of family members and Priyanka. “We will match all the statements and may interview her again,” the officer said.
Following are excerpts from the 40-minute conversation with Priyanka, reconstructed on the basis of CBI sources’ accounts:
Q: Why did you leave Rizwanur’s home on September 8?
A: I was told that my father was critically ill and admitted to a nursing home.
Q: What did you find after reaching home?
A: My father returned home the next day and he was not critically ill.
Q: What did your father tell you when he returned home?
A: On September 9, my father returned. He told me he would take me to a holy place.
Q: Did you inform Rizwanur?
A: Yes, on the same day.
Q: Why did you leave the city on September 11 when you knew you would have to return to Rizwanur’s house after seven days?
A: I was told that we would return after a couple of days after offering puja in Tirupati.
Q: When did you last talk to Rizwanur?
A: On September 11, the day when we left for Tirupati.
Q: What did you tell him?
A: I told him that we would meet on September 16. That was our last conversation.
Q: Why did you not contact Rizwanur after that day?
A: My father told me that he was in touch with him and there was no problem. He also told me I would meet him after returning.
Q: How did you learn of Rizwanur’s death?
A: My father said Rizwanur met with an accident in the afternoon and, at night, I was told that he expired.
Q: Why didn’t you contact Rizwanur’s family members after returning?
A: I was not in a position… I was shocked and shattered.
