ED raids Kolkata locations in land syndicate money laundering probe
Synopsis
The ED's Friday morning blitz across four locations — a businessman's home, a Central Kolkata hotel, a police officer's residence, and a palatial Murshidabad mansion — signals the probe into Kolkata's land syndicate money laundering network is widening fast. With a former Deputy Commissioner of Police already in custody, the agency is now closing in on his alleged associates.
Key Takeaways
The Enforcement Directorate conducted simultaneous raids at four locations in Kolkata and Murshidabad on 22 May .
The operations are linked to money laundering cases involving land syndicates and the arrests of former Kolkata Police Deputy Commissioner Sinha Biswas and land mafia figure Biswajit Poddar (Sona Pappu) .
Targets included a businessman in Bhabanipur , a hotel on Royd Street , a police officer's residence in Kasba , and a mansion in Kandi, Murshidabad .
The Kandi mansion is reportedly the ancestral home of Sinha Biswas; his sister Gauri Biswas , vice-chairman of the TMC -run Kandi municipality, had been residing there.
Names of the new targets reportedly surfaced during interrogation of Sinha Biswas and Sona Pappu, both currently in ED custody .
The Enforcement Directorate (ED) launched simultaneous raids and search operations across multiple locations in Kolkata on Friday, 22 May, targeting properties and individuals linked to money laundering cases tied to land syndicates. The operations are connected to the arrests of Sinha Biswas, a former Deputy Commissioner of Kolkata Police, and Biswajit Poddar, widely known as Sona Pappu, a land mafia figure — both of whom are currently in ED custody following arrests earlier this month.
Key Locations Raided
Four separate ED teams fanned out across the city and beyond on Friday morning. The first team reached the residence of a businessman at Chakraberia in the Bhabanipur area of South Kolkata. A second team descended on a hotel on Royd Street in Central Kolkata, where officials spoke to the hotel manager before commencing the search; the hotel owner has reportedly been asked to appear at the earliest for interrogation. A third team conducted a raid at the residence of a police officer in Kasba, South Kolkata — described by sources as a close confidant of Sinha Biswas.
Murshidabad Mansion Searched
A fourth ED team travelled to Kandi in Murshidabad district, where they raided a palatial mansion owned by Sinha Biswas. The property, located in Ward No. 8 of the Kandi Municipality, is reportedly his ancestral home. His sister, Gauri Biswas — who serves as vice-chairman of the Trinamool Congress (TMC)-run Kandi municipality — had been residing there. According to locals, the house had remained locked since Sinha Biswas's arrest, and ED officials had to break open the main gate lock to gain entry on Friday morning.
What Interrogation Revealed
'The names of the businessman, the hotel owner and the police officer concerned in connection with these money laundering-cum-land-linked syndicate cases surfaced in the course of interrogation of Sinha Biswas and Sona Pappu by the investigating officials. Now the raids and search operations are being conducted to track corroborating evidence in this connection,' a source aware of the development said.
Background and Significance
The raids mark a significant escalation in the ED's probe into Kolkata's land syndicate networks, which allegedly operated with the involvement of a senior police official. Sinha Biswas and Sona Pappu were arrested by the central agency earlier in May in connection with the same cases. The simultaneous multi-location operations suggest investigators are working to seize documentary and financial evidence before it can be moved or destroyed. This comes amid broader scrutiny of alleged nexus between law enforcement, local political figures, and organised land mafia activity in West Bengal.
Further developments are expected as the ED continues to interrogate newly identified individuals and processes evidence gathered in Friday's operations.
Point of View
A Deputy Commissioner-rank officer, is already extraordinary; the emergence of further police links suggests the rot may be more systemic than a single rogue official. What mainstream coverage risks missing is the political dimension: the Kandi mansion's connection to a TMC municipality functionary places the probe uncomfortably close to the ruling establishment in West Bengal. The real test for the ED will be whether the evidence gathered Friday translates into prosecutable financial trails — or whether this remains a high-profile custody story without convictions.
NationPress
6 Jul 2026
Frequently Asked Questions
Why is the ED raiding multiple locations in Kolkata on 22 May?
The ED is conducting raids in connection with money laundering cases linked to land syndicates involving former Kolkata Police Deputy Commissioner Sinha Biswas and land mafia figure Biswajit Poddar, alias Sona Pappu. Both are in ED custody following arrests earlier in May, and the new raids aim to gather corroborating evidence based on leads from their interrogation.
Who are Sinha Biswas and Sona Pappu?
Sinha Biswas is a former Deputy Commissioner of Kolkata Police who was arrested by the ED earlier in May in connection with land syndicate money laundering cases. Sona Pappu is the alias of Biswajit Poddar, described as a prominent local land mafia figure, who was also arrested in the same cases and remains in ED custody.
What is the significance of the Kandi mansion raid?
The palatial mansion in Kandi, Murshidabad district, is reportedly the ancestral home of Sinha Biswas. His sister, Gauri Biswas, who serves as vice-chairman of the TMC-run Kandi municipality, had been residing there. The house had been locked since Sinha Biswas's arrest, and ED officials broke open the main gate to conduct the search.
Who else is being investigated in connection with these raids?
According to sources, a businessman from Bhabanipur in South Kolkata, a hotel owner on Royd Street in Central Kolkata, and a police officer from Kasba in South Kolkata are among those now under scrutiny. Their names reportedly emerged during the interrogation of Sinha Biswas and Sona Pappu.
What is a land syndicate and why is it significant in this case?
A land syndicate typically refers to an organised network that controls land transactions in an area, often through coercion, illegal commissions, or collusion with officials. In this case, the alleged syndicate is accused of generating proceeds of crime through such activities, which the ED is investigating as money laundering under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA).
