Financial graft probe against Sandip Ghosh: ED raids in Chinar Park, Tala & Kalindi in Kolkata
Times of India | 13 September 2024
Sandip Ghosh’s house at Mallikbagan, Chinar Park (left); Octane Medical at Kalindi, Jessore Road (right) KOLKATA: Enforcement Directorate, looking into the alleged financial crime at the R G Kar Medical College, conducted searches at three places, including former principal of the medical college Sandip Ghosh's house and residence of Khama Louha - one of the accused persons mentioned in the CBI's FIR.
On Thursday morning, a team of CBI officials reached the Mallikbagan, Chinar Park residence of Sandip Ghosh at 6.30 am.The house was locked from outside and ED officials waited for nearly an hour before a caretaker came and opened the gates. Some of the doors inside the house were also locked and a locksmith was asked to open the doors. Ghosh's sister-in-law also reached the spot. The CBI had also searched the house earlier in the presence of Ghosh's wife Sangita.
"Ghosh used to visit the house during the pujas. His parents, however, went out on holidays and I was asked to take care of the house. They went away nearly a month ago and handed over the keys to me," the caretaker said.
Ghosh, who did not socialize much in the neighbourhood, used to deploy his bodyguards to oversee the job when any construction work was undertaken. Locals alleged that nobody dared to protest despite obstruction on the road due to the construction work.
Another team of the officials reached the residence of Khama Louha at Tala. They took her husband Chandan Louha and his son to the roof as they spoke to them. Earlier, the CBI had also questioned Chandan over the allegations of permission given to him to set up a stall on the hospital premises bypassing tenders. Another team of CBI reached the Octane Medical at Kalindi, Jessore Road. The company had allegedly bagged tenders for medical equipment flouting tender norms.
The CBI, which has already registered a case in the financial crime at the R G Kar Hospital, had earlier conducted searches at Ghosh's in-laws' residence at Chandernagore. They had also searched the residence of Ghosh's sister-in-law. The CBI has, in the court, claimed that they have found digital records which will lead them to a bigger nexus in committing the "multifarious scam" and money laundering.
Ghosh's wife Sangita, however, did not appear before the Enforcement Directorate officials on Thursday citing health issues.
She had, instead, sent a relative to inform the ED officials about her health conditions. The Enforcement Directorate had earlier alleged that she had duped the state government by not furnishing documents related to her properties.
The agency had also alleged that the anomaly was corrected later by Sandip Ghosh, the then head of the institution, by giving a post-facto approval to her acquisition of properties.