Bharati Ghosh had quit Bengal police without allegedly returning two bullet-proof jackets she had borrowed from the CRPF — a matter that, according to a CID source, came to light when the central force started looking for the body protection gear recently.

The CID said the two jackets had been seized from one of the addresses of the former IPS officer in raids last year but it would not be able to return the same to the CRPF as they were part of an ongoing case against Ghosh.

The Telegraph had made repeated attempts to get in touch with Ghosh. But there has been no response to calls or text messages.

“More than a year after Ghosh had taken voluntary retirement from the police in late 2017, the CRPF started looking for two bullet-proof jackets lent to her when she was West Midnapore district police chief in the Jungle Mahal area,” the source in the CID said.

Ghosh was once very close to chief minister Mamata Banerjee. Ghosh had borrowed the jackets from CRPF’s 184 Battalion in Jhargram, sources said.

For officers posted in the Jungle Mahal, it is normal to have bullet-proof jackets, the police said. “But what was not normal was the fact that Ghosh had failed to return them even after resignation,” an officer said.

“It is ok if you take it (bullet-proof jacket) home because you may need it any moment in sensitive areas. But according to service rules, these (jackets) have to be returned when you either get a transfer or leave the service,” said a senior police officer.

The officer added that in case the agency that had issued the bullet proof jackets lodged a complaint, a fresh case of theft of government property could be started against Ghosh.

Although the safety jackets are earmarked for government use and can be procured only through the official channel, the sources said, criminals or people with pertinent threat to life often procure the protection gear through illegal means.

The CID said there had been communication with the CRPF on the bullet-proof jacket seizure. “But we are not in a position to return the jackets as they are currently relevant for an ongoing investigation against Ghosh,” said a senior officer in the CID.

Sources said the CRPF had recently got in touch with the Bengal police to claim back their bullet-proof jackets. It was then that the CID came to know that the jackets seized from Ghosh’s address actually belonged to the CRPF.

“As a part of the protocol, once we came to know that the jackets belonged to the CRPF, we shared the details with the agency to confirm their identification. Even though the jackets were identified, we will be unable to return them till the case is over,” the source said.

The CID is probing a gold racket in West Midnapore in which Ghosh has been named as one of the accused.

A case of disproportionate assets has also been initiated against the former cop who had an arrest warrant against her and recently joined the BJP.

A fresh case was started against Ghosh last week when one of her associates — an officer of Bengal police — was arrested for illegal access to the email id of a senior officer and taking out call details records of the complainant and witnesses of a case in which he and Ghosh are accused.

The Supreme Court had on Monday adjourned hearing till February 19 on a plea by Ghosh for transfer of various cases filed against her in the state to the CBI or any other “independent” agency.