Bengal Durga Puja pass scam: Mass Art executive sent to police custody till Nov 13
Synopsis
The fake UNESCO-tagged Durga Puja pass scam in West Bengal has claimed its second arrest: Mass Art's top executive Dhrubojyoti Basu, who had been on the run since ex-Tourism Minister Indranil Sen's detention last week. With Sen's daughter now also under interrogation and the ED running a parallel money-laundering probe, the case is rapidly widening beyond its initial flashpoint.
Key Takeaways
Dhrubojyoti Basu alias Subho , top executive of Mass Art , remanded to Kolkata police custody till 13 November by a lower court.
He is the second arrest in the case; the first was former West Bengal Tourism Minister Indranil Sen , who was detained last week.
Basu had been absconding since Sen's arrest before being apprehended on Wednesday night .
Averi Sen , daughter of Indranil Sen, appeared for interrogation on Thursday after skipping two prior summons; entities iScape and Mayra linked to her are under scrutiny.
Madhuchhanda Sen , in whose name Mass Art is registered, has been questioned twice and holds an anticipatory bail from the Calcutta High Court .
The case is being probed jointly by the Kolkata Police SIT and the Enforcement Directorate (ED) .
Dhrubojyoti Basu, alias Subho, the top executive of Mass Art — the corporate entity allegedly used to sell fake UNESCO-tagged Durga Puja passes — was on Thursday, 5 November 2026, remanded to police custody till 13 November by a lower court in Kolkata. The court granted custody after the Public Prosecutor sought a 14-day remand, though the judge ordered a shorter period.
Key Developments in the Case
Basu was arrested on Wednesday night by the Special Investigation Team (SIT) of Kolkata Police probing the fake pass scam — making him the second arrest in the matter. The first was former West Bengal Tourism Minister Indranil Sen, a singer-turned-politician who was taken into custody outside the Enforcement Directorate (ED)'s Salt Lake office last week. Basu had been absconding since Sen's arrest before being apprehended Wednesday night.
Investigators say Basu's interrogation is expected to shed more light on the alleged roles of Sen and his wife, Madhuchhanda Sen, in Mass Art. Sen remains in police custody and is scheduled to be produced before the same lower court on 10 November.
Sen's Daughter Faces Interrogation
Averi Sen, daughter of Indranil Sen, appeared at Kolkata Police headquarters on Thursday afternoon for questioning after avoiding the city police's summons on two prior occasions — Tuesday and Wednesday. She reportedly appeared only after a warning from police signalled imminent arrest. The SIT is examining financial transactions linked to two entities — iScape and Mayra — which are reportedly controlled by Averi Sen and are now under scrutiny in the fake pass case.
Madhuchhanda Sen's Role Under Scrutiny
Mass Art is registered in the name of Madhuchhanda Sen, wife of the arrested former minister. She has already been questioned twice by investigating officers, appearing each time armed with an anticipatory bail granted by a single-judge bench of the Calcutta High Court. Her position in the company places her at the centre of the probe into how fake Puja passes were allegedly sold using the UNESCO brand association.
Parallel Probes by Police and ED
The case is being investigated through twin parallel probes — one by the Kolkata Police SIT and another by the Enforcement Directorate (ED), which is likely examining the money-laundering angle. This is notable given that the ED had already summoned Indranil Sen to its Salt Lake office, where city police moved to detain him last week. The convergence of criminal and financial investigations suggests the alleged scam extends well beyond the sale of passes, with the money trail still being mapped. The case has drawn considerable public attention given the cultural and institutional weight of Durga Puja in West Bengal, and the alleged exploitation of its prestigious UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage tag.
Point of View
Two additional corporate entities, and a suspected money-laundering trail. The fact that both the Kolkata Police SIT and the ED are running parallel probes signals that investigators believe the financial dimensions of the scam go significantly beyond the face value of fake passes. What is striking is the alleged use of the UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage tag — a symbol of Bengali cultural pride — as a mechanism of fraud, which raises questions about how institutional branding is verified and protected. The fuller picture of who authorised what inside Mass Art will likely hinge on what Basu reveals under interrogation.
NationPress
5 Nov 2026
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the Bengal Durga Puja pass scam?
The scam involves the alleged sale of fake passes branded with the UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage tag associated with Kolkata's Durga Puja celebrations, through a corporate entity called Mass Art. The Kolkata Police SIT and the Enforcement Directorate are both investigating the matter.
Who is Dhrubojyoti Basu and why was he arrested?
Dhrubojyoti Basu, alias Subho, is the top executive of Mass Art — the company allegedly used to sell the fake UNESCO-tagged Durga Puja passes. He was arrested by the Kolkata Police SIT on Wednesday night after being on the run since the earlier arrest of former Tourism Minister Indranil Sen.
What is Indranil Sen's role in the case?
Indranil Sen, a former West Bengal Tourism Minister, was the first person arrested in the scam and remains in police custody. He is scheduled to appear before a Kolkata lower court on 10 November. Investigators believe Basu's questioning will further clarify Sen's and his wife's alleged roles in Mass Art.
Who else from the Sen family is under investigation?
Averi Sen, daughter of Indranil Sen, was questioned by Kolkata Police on Thursday after avoiding two summons. Two entities — iScape and Mayra — reportedly linked to her are under the SIT's scanner. Sen's wife Madhuchhanda Sen, in whose name Mass Art is registered, has been questioned twice and has anticipatory bail from the Calcutta High Court.
Are there money-laundering charges in this case?
The Enforcement Directorate is running a parallel probe alongside the Kolkata Police SIT, suggesting investigators are examining possible money-laundering angles. The full extent of the financial trail is still being mapped.
