The CBI arrested a former general manager of Eastern Coalfields (ECL) in connection with the coal scam after a six-hour interrogation at Nizam Palace in Calcutta on Friday.

Retired GM Subhash Mukherjee’s arrest comes a day after a special court of the CBI in Asansol remanded seven present and former ECL officials who were arrested

on Wednesday in connection with coal smuggling, in five-day custody of the central agency.

Mukherjee was summoned for interrogations on Wednesday, along with the seven. But he did not go citing ill health from to Covid-related complications. On Friday, he went to Nizam Palace after fresh summons, was quizzed for six-hours and arrested. He will be produced before the special CBI court in Asansol on Saturday.

Sources said the CBI came to know the eight persons in all received at least Rs 7 to 8 crore between 2018 and 2020 illegally and other “undue” privileges from Anup Maji aka Lala, the prime accused in the multi-crore coal scam.

“The BJP accused us of involvement in the coal scam.... It is now clear who was behind it as many central public sector employees are being arrested by the CBI.… You cannot suppress facts for long,” said Santanu Sen, Trinamul Rajya Sabha member.