A team of CBI officers went to former Calcutta police commissioner Rajeev Kumar’s residence on Park Street on Friday evening hours before he was served with a notice through email to appear before the central agency on Saturday morning in connection with the Saradha probe.

The move came after Calcutta High Court removed the “blanket protection” against arrest and gave the CBI a free hand to proceed with the investigations.

Kumar, a 1989-batch IPS officer who is currently posted as additional director-general of police, CID, is on leave from September 9 to 25, sources in the state home department said. However, according to a previous court order, Kumar was under obligation to remain in the city till the next date of hearing, which was Friday.

The CBI team went to his residence at 34 Park Street — the office compound of the deputy commissioner, south where several IPS officers have their quarters — around 4.30pm.

Sources in the police said Kumar was not home when the CBI officers went to meet him. The officers also went to Kumar’s present office at Bhabani Bhavan but failed to serve the notice there in his absence.

“As the notice was issued in his name, it had to be served to him in person. As he was neither available at his home nor in his office, the notice to appear at the CGO Complex on Saturday morning was mailed to him,” said an officer of the central agency.

Some of the police officers who have their office at 34 Park Street said that initially, there was panic as rumours had spread that the CBI had come to arrest the former top cop. However, CBI officers clarified their stand to the local Shakespeare Sarani police station before they entered the highly guarded IPS quarters compound without any hindrance.

Sources close to Kumar refused to divulge details about his whereabouts.

Earlier this year, a CBI team that had gone to question the then Calcutta police commissioner Kumar at the CP-bungalow on Loudon Street was stopped and allegedly forced into a vehicle by Calcutta police officers and sent to the local Shakespeare Sarani police station.

The high voltage-drama in front of the CP bungalow had prompted chief minister Mamata Banerjee to rush to the spot and later start a sit-in-demonstration at Esplanade. On Friday, Mamata did not mention Kumar or the court order during any of her public appearances in the city.