ED seeks missing phones of arrested Kolkata cop in syndicate probe
Synopsis
A Kolkata Police officer arrested in a criminal syndicate case arrived at the ED's CGO Complex without either of his two mobile phones — and has since claimed they are 'lost.' With WhatsApp chats on a co-accused's phone already linking him to alleged land-grab crimes, investigators believe the missing devices are a calculated move to destroy evidence, echoing a TMC MLA's phone-in-a-pond gambit from a separate ED case.
Key Takeaways
Shantanu Sinha Biswas , a Kolkata Police officer, was arrested by the ED on 15 May in connection with an alleged criminal-linked syndicate case.
Neither of his two mobile phones was in his possession at the time of arrest; he claims they were lost but filed no police complaint.
Co-accused businessman Joy Kamdar's phone contained WhatsApp chats showing communication between Shantanu and criminal Sona Pappu about alleged forcible land occupation.
The case draws parallels with former TMC MLA Jiban Krishna Saha , who threw phones into a pond during an ED search in the SSC recruitment corruption case.
ED has traced the last active locations of both missing phones and is working to recover them.
The phone of Sub-Inspector Rahul Amin , a close associate of Shantanu, has been seized after a search of his residence.
The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has flagged a critical gap in its investigation into an alleged criminal-linked syndicate in Kolkata: arrested Kolkata Police officer Shantanu Sinha Biswas has failed to produce either of his two mobile phones before investigators, according to sources within the central agency. The development has deepened suspicions of deliberate evidence destruction.
The Missing Phones
According to ED sources, when Shantanu Sinha Biswas appeared at the ED office at CGO Complex on 15 May, he was not carrying either of his two mobile phones. No device was seized from him even after his arrest on that date. When investigators questioned him about the phones, Shantanu reportedly claimed they had been lost — a version that ED officials say they are unwilling to accept.
Investigators have, however, already established the last known active locations of both devices and are working to trace them, sources said.
Evidence Found Elsewhere in the Case
The significance of the missing phones is underscored by what was recovered from co-accused Joy Kamdar, a businessman arrested in the same syndicate case. A mobile phone seized from Kamdar reportedly contained several important documents and, crucially, WhatsApp chat records showing communication between convicted criminal Sona Pappu and Shantanu concerning the alleged forcible occupation of land.
In a related development, the residence of Kolkata Police Sub-Inspector Rahul Amin, described as a close associate of Shantanu, was recently searched and his phone confiscated.
Parallel in the SSC Corruption Case
The circumstances draw a direct parallel with a separate evidence-destruction episode. Former Trinamool Congress (TMC) MLA Jiban Krishna Saha had thrown his mobile phones into a pond during an ED search at his Murshidabad residence in connection with an SSC recruitment corruption case. Investigators are now reportedly examining whether Shantanu adopted a similar approach.
Why the Phones Matter
ED officials noted that mobile devices have become a primary tool in criminal investigations, storing communication records, location data, and financial trails that are difficult to erase entirely. Investigators believe Shantanu — a trained police officer — was acutely aware of this, noting that his phones could yield evidence not only in the current syndicate case but potentially in several other matters as well.
Critically, sources pointed out that even if data was deleted from the devices, modern forensic tools can recover it. If evidence of deliberate deletion is found, it would substantially strengthen the charge of destruction of evidence against Shantanu.
The Timeline Under Scrutiny
Investigators believe the window between 9 May — when a change of government in West Bengal took place — and 15 May, when Shantanu reported to the ED, gave him sufficient time to act on the phones. ED officials have also noted that Shantanu did not file any police complaint reporting the phones as lost, further undermining his account.
The investigation is ongoing, with the ED continuing efforts to locate both devices based on their last known active signals.
Point of View
Now a serving police officer claims his phones simply vanished before arrest. The fact that Shantanu had six days between the government change on 9 May and his ED appearance on 15 May will be difficult to explain away. More troubling is what the phones on Joy Kamdar's device already reveal: if a co-accused's WhatsApp archive contains enough to implicate Shantanu, the contents of his own devices would be far more damaging. The ED's ability to trace last-active locations suggests the phones may not be as gone as claimed — and the forensic outcome of that trace could be the pivot on which this entire case turns.
NationPress
7 Aug 2026
Frequently Asked Questions
Why are Shantanu Sinha Biswas's mobile phones missing in the ED case?
Shantanu Sinha Biswas, a Kolkata Police officer arrested on 15 May in a criminal syndicate case, did not have either of his two mobile phones when he appeared at the ED's CGO Complex. He claims the phones were lost, but he filed no police complaint about the loss, and investigators say they do not believe his account.
What evidence has the ED already found in the syndicate case?
ED officials recovered a mobile phone from co-accused businessman Joy Kamdar that contained WhatsApp chats showing communication between Shantanu and convicted criminal Sona Pappu regarding the alleged forcible occupation of land. Several other important documents were also found on Kamdar's device.
How does this case compare to the Jiban Krishna Saha phone-destruction incident?
Former TMC MLA Jiban Krishna Saha threw his mobile phones into a pond during an ED search at his Murshidabad residence to destroy evidence in the SSC recruitment corruption case. Investigators are now examining whether Shantanu Sinha Biswas used a similar method to dispose of his devices before his arrest.
Can deleted data on Shantanu's phones still be recovered?
ED officials say modern forensic tools can recover deleted data from mobile devices even after it has been erased. If evidence of deliberate deletion is found, it would strengthen the charge of destruction of evidence against Shantanu.
What is the ED doing to find the missing phones?
The ED has already determined the last known active locations of both missing phones and is using that information to try to trace the devices. Investigators have also searched the residence of Sub-Inspector Rahul Amin, a close associate of Shantanu, and seized his phone.
