The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has provisionally attached immovable assets valued at Rs 2.78 crore belonging to former Kolkata Police Deputy Commissioner Santanu Sinha Biswas. This action was taken on Thursday as part of an ongoing investigation into money laundering and corruption linked to city-based strongman Sona Pappu. The attached properties, identified as proceeds of crime, include three flats in Kolkata and a plot of land in Kandi, Murshidabad district, which are held by Biswas, his family members, and associates.
Biswas, who was arrested by the ED in May this year, is currently lodged in jail. He is accused of using his position to facilitate illegal activities, including land grabbing and extortion, and receiving substantial financial benefits from private entities and businessmen in exchange for illegal favours. During his tenure as the officer-in-charge of Kalighat police station, an area where former chief minister Mamata Banerjee resides, Biswas developed a close association with Jay S Kamdar. The ED investigation revealed that proceeds of crime were generated through unauthorized building construction and real estate grabbing via entities controlled by Biswajit Poddar alias Sona Pappu, Jay S Kamdar, and their associates.
In addition to the federal agency's action, the Kolkata Police has initiated a separate case against Biswas under the Prevention of Corruption Act. The agency stated that Biswas directly and indirectly acquired, concealed, and possessed the proceeds of crime generated through these illicit operations.
