The Criminal Investigation Department (CID) of West Bengal has obtained crucial leads revealing how fake state government seal stamps were deployed to illegally convert government-vested land in Salboni, West Midnapore district, and subsequently sell those plots at premium prices. The multi-crore land-grabbing scam has already resulted in the arrest of three key accused, including a close associate of a senior Trinamool Congress (TMC) leader.

Key Developments in the Investigation

According to a state police officer aware of the probe, investigating officers discovered that names listed in land title deeds belonged to non-existent persons at the mentioned addresses. A large number of stamp papers and rubber seal stamps of the state land and land revenue department were reportedly recovered from the residence of one of the arrested accused, and were subsequently confirmed to be fake.

'The investigating officer visited the addresses of those whose names were in the land title deeds, and they found that no persons by those names existed at the mentioned addresses. A large number of stamp papers and rubber stamp seals of the state land and land revenue department were recovered from the residence of Sujoy Hazra. Later, these seals were found to be fake. Apart from that, several passbooks and cheque books were also recovered from Hazra's house,' the state police officer said.

Who Has Been Arrested

The CID has so far arrested three individuals in connection with the Salboni case. The first is Sumit Roy, personal assistant to Trinamool Congress general secretary and Diamond Harbour Lok Sabha member Abhishek Banerjee. The second is Sujoy Hazra, a former TMC legislator from the Medinipur Assembly constituency in West Midnapore district. The third is Amit Ghosh, described as a close confidant of both Roy and Hazra.

PSOs of Abhishek Banerjee Named as Witnesses

Investigators have also recorded the statements of two personal security officers (PSOs) assigned to Abhishek Banerjee, the Diamond Harbour MP. According to the police source, these statements are considered critical to making the case watertight. Both PSOs have been named as witnesses in the chargesheet filed by the CID, which lists a total of 20 witnesses.

'The list of witnesses includes people from panchayat heads to local Trinamool Congress leaders. Even the driver of Sujoy Hazra's car has been named as a witness,' the state police officer added.

Scope of the Alleged Fraud

The scam allegedly involved the unauthorised conversion of government-vested land through forged documentation bearing counterfeit official seals, followed by the sale of the land at inflated market prices. The breadth of the witness list — spanning local TMC functionaries, panchayat officials, and personal staff of the accused — points to an operation with multiple layers, according to investigators.

This is not the first time West Bengal's land administration has come under scrutiny; critics have long flagged the vulnerability of vested land records to manipulation. The CID probe is expected to widen as interrogations continue and further forensic analysis of the recovered documents is completed.