ED attaches assets of ex-Kolkata Police official in land-grabbing case
What's the story
The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has provisionally attached assets worth ₹2.78 crore belonging to former Kolkata Police Deputy Commissioner Santanu Sinha Biswas. The properties, described as proceeds of crime, include three flats in Kolkata and a plot of land in Murshidabad district's Kandi. These assets are owned by Biswas and his family members and associates.
Background
Biswas was once the officer-in-charge of Kalighat police station
Biswas has held several key positions in the Kolkata Police under the previous Trinamool Congress government.
He was also the officer-in-charge of Kalighat police station, under whose jurisdiction former chief minister Mamata Banerjee's residence is located.
The ED arrested Biswas in May over an alleged money laundering case linked to a land-grabbing racket, and he is currently behind bars.
Investigation progress
Biswas received crores from private entities
The ED has said that the proceeds of crime were generated through illegal activities such as extortion and unauthorized construction.
These activities were allegedly carried out by entities controlled by Biswajit Poddar alias Sona Pappu, Jay S Kamdar, and their associates.
The agency claims Biswas received crores from private entities in return for illegal favors while in office.
Corruption case
Close association with Jay S Kamdar
The ED statement said, "During his tenure as the officer-in-charge of Kalighat, he developed a close association with Jay S Kamdar and assisted him in illegal activities."
This association allegedly helped Kamdar gain influence within the police establishment through Biswas.
The Kolkata Police has also registered a case against Biswas under the Prevention of Corruption Act.
Racket involvement
Land-grabbing racket
Biswas is accused of colluding with Sona Pappu and businessman Jay Kamdar in a land-grabbing racket that illegally occupied valuable plots of land in Kolkata.
He allegedly used his position to intimidate vulnerable landowners into surrendering their properties.
The ED claims the syndicate grabbed land across Kolkata, generating proceeds worth at least ₹50 crore.