Kolkata, Nov 14 (IANS): The CBI, probing the multi-crore Saradha ponzi scam, on Thursday quizzed IPS officer Arnab Ghosh about two missing items -- a red diary and a hard disk -- crucial in unearthing a bigger conspiracy behind the scandal and the role of influential people in it, sources said.

Ghosh was a key figure in the Special Investigation Team that probed the scandal before the investigation was handed over to the central agency. The sources said the investigators also questioned Ghosh about who all gave directions to him regarding the probe.

The red diary and the hard disk were apparently seized from the Saradha Group's Midland Park office by the SIT during the initial days of the probe after the team was constituted from among officers of the Bidhannagar Police Commissionerate by the state's Mamata Banerjee government in 2013.

Ghosh arrived at the Central Bureau of Investigation office in the CGO complex in the morning, was grilled for two hours.

Ghosh, who was Deputy Commissioner (Detectove Department) of the Commissionerate at that time, directly handled the case and gave instructions to lower level officers. He also regularly briefed the media about the developments with regard to the case.

Then Bidhannagar Police Commissioner Rajeev Kumar, who has also been under the scanner of the CBI, headed the SIT.

The Supreme Court on 2014 handed over the Saradha probe to the CBI.