The Enforcement Directorate (ED) Sunday conducted coordinated raids at the residence of Shantanu Sinha Biswas, Deputy Commissioner (Special Branch) of the Kolkata police. The searches are part of an ongoing investigation into a land-grabbing and housing scam involving influential politicians and real estate dealers.
Three ED teams, escorted by Central paramilitary forces, left the Central Government Office (CGO) complex at 4.30 am to three specific locations: Biswas’s primary residence on Fern Road, a secondary residential building near Fern Road, where Biswas reportedly owns five flats, Joy Kamdar’s residence in Behala. Kamdar is the managing director of Sun Enterprise.
Investigators reportedly faced significant delays; they were kept waiting for 40 minutes at Kamdar’s house and over 90 minutes at Biswas’s secondary properties, which were found under lock and key.
The agency’s interest in Biswas stems from a money trail linked to Biswajit Poddar, alias Sona Pappu, a notorious history-sheeter allegedly close to the ruling party. Sources claim that scrutiny of Pappu’s bank accounts revealed several suspicious financial transactions involving Biswas.
Biswas is no stranger to Central probes; he was recently summoned to New Delhi on April 6 regarding a coal scam case and had previously been questioned by the ED during his tenure as the officer-in-charge (OC) of Kalighat.
Simultaneous raids targeted Joy Kamdar, who has allegedly ignored two previous summons. During a prior search of Kamdar’s premises, the ED recovered Rs 1.2 crore in cash.
This operation follows marathon raids by the Income Tax department on Friday at the residence of TMC heavyweight Debasish Kumar, a mayor-in-council member of the Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC). Kumar’s name surfaced after the ED raided businessman Amit Gangopadhyay, who is accused of forging documents for disputed KMC properties to sell them at inflated rates.
The ED is investigating an extortion racket run under the guise of real estate promotion. It is alleged that Sona Pappu and his associates, who are currently absconding, used force to seize disputed land, carried out illegal construction with the assistance of municipal authorities, and funnelled the proceeds to influential figures within the administration.
In February, bombs were thrown, bullets were fired, and stones were hurled as two rival groups clashed on Kankulia Road in the Golpark area, resulting in at least two injuries and the subsequent arrest of ten people. According to residents, over 100 youths, allegedly led by Sona Pappu, stormed and attacked resident Bappi Haldar and his supporters, who fought back in retaliation.
Locals claim that Pappu orchestrated the violence in an effort to establish control over the area. Pappu has had numerous run-ins with the law since he entered the construction business around 2010-11. He attempted to take control of the Ballygunge Rail Yard in 2015, which brought him into conflict with another strongman, Munna Pandey.
In 2017, Palash Jana was murdered as a result of territorial disputes on Swinhoe Lane, leading to Pappu’s later arrest in Jalpaiguri. Although Pappu was released on bail, law enforcement states that he still faces at least 15 criminal charges, including attempted murder, rape, and multiple violations of the Arms Act.
CM Mamata Banerjee at a public meeting in Tarakeswar Sunday said, “The ED has raided the house of the person who does my income tax, then Debashish Kumar, who is a TMC candidate from Rashbehari, was not allowed to campaign because they raided his house for 16 hours. We are keeping a record of everything; there will be a case for everything.”
“Now, they are raiding the house of the person who takes care of my security. Does that mean that they want to kill me or murder me? If by killing me, they think they can win Bengal, they can try that then. During the CPI(M) time, they have also tried to murder me several times, and now all those from CPI(M) have joined them (BJP),” added Banerjee.