Assets worth ₹2.78 crore of former police officer seized in land grabbing case

The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has provisionally seized immovable assets worth ₹2.78 crore belonging to former Kolkata Deputy Commissioner Santanu Sinha Biswas, identified as proceeds of crime. According to a report by Press Trust of India (PTI), this action has been taken in a money laundering and corruption case involving an influential individual known as Sona Pappu.

The seized assets include three flats located in Kolkata and a plot of land in Kandi, Murshidabad district. These properties are owned by Biswas, his family members, and his associates. The Enforcement Directorate stated that these assets are proceeds of crime.

According to the agency's statement, the investigation has revealed that the proceeds of crime were generated through entities controlled by Bishwajit Poddar, alias Sona Pappu, Jai S. Kamdar, and their associates. These proceeds include illegal activities such as extortion, grabbing real estate properties, and unauthorized construction of buildings. Biswas is accused of taking financial benefits worth crores of rupees by obtaining illegal gains from private entities and businessmen while in office.

The statement further added that during his tenure as the in-charge of Kalighat police station, Biswas developed close ties with Jai S. Kamdar and assisted him in illegal activities. Kamdar held significant influence within the police system due to his relationship with Biswas. The agency claimed that Biswas directly and indirectly obtained, concealed, and possessed proceeds of crime amounting to at least ₹2.89 crore.

Biswas is accused of colluding with Sona Pappu and businessman Jai Kamdar in a racket to illegally occupy valuable land plots in Kolkata for a long time. It is alleged that Biswas used his position in the police to intimidate vulnerable landowners into surrendering their properties. The Enforcement Directorate claimed that this syndicate grabbed land in various parts of Kolkata and generated proceeds of crime amounting to at least ₹50 crore.

The Kolkata Police has also registered a separate case against Biswas under the Prevention of Corruption Act. Biswas was arrested in May in a money laundering case linked to the land grabbing racket and is currently in jail. In July, the agency filed a chargesheet in this case, alleging that evidence was found directly involving Biswas in the misappropriation of approximately ₹3 crore.

Santanu Sinha Biswas held several important positions in the Kolkata Police during the previous Trinamool Congress government. He had also served as the in-charge of Kalighat police station, located in the area where former Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee resides.