ED opens fresh probe against ex-Kolkata DCP Santanu Sinha Biswas over transfer-posting racket
Synopsis
The ED has opened a second front against former Kolkata Police DCP Santanu Sinha Biswas, probing whether he ran a paid transfer-and-posting racket for junior officers while simultaneously using those placements to control a multi-crore land-grabbing syndicate. A supplementary PMLA chargesheet has already been filed, with his alleged personal gain in the land case pegged at ₹3 crore.
Key Takeaways
The ED has launched a fresh investigation against former Kolkata Police Deputy Commissioner Santanu Sinha Biswas over alleged earnings from manipulating officer transfers and postings.
The new probe runs alongside an existing ED inquiry into a multi-crore land-grabbing case in which Sinha Biswas is already an accused.
A supplementary PMLA chargesheet was filed last week in a special court in Kolkata , naming Sinha Biswas , Biswajit Poddar (alias Sona Pappu ), and Jay Kamdar .
The ED alleges Sinha Biswas personally gained around ₹3 crore from the illegal land-grabbing operation.
Investigators are examining two angles: commission earned from postings and whether those postings helped control a real-estate syndicate.
Evidence collected includes bank transaction records , digital data , and witness testimonies .
The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has launched a fresh investigation against former Kolkata Police Deputy Commissioner Santanu Sinha Biswas, this time targeting alleged earnings he made by manipulating transfers and postings of officers junior to him. The new probe, reported on 15 July, runs parallel to an existing money-laundering inquiry into his role in a multi-crore land-grabbing syndicate.
What the New Investigation Covers
According to sources familiar with the development, the ED initiated this fresh line of inquiry after receiving specific complaints that Sinha Biswas influenced the postings of officers at the sub-inspector, inspector, and assistant commissioner levels. The agency is pursuing two distinct angles: first, whether he strategically placed loyalist officers at lucrative police stations to tighten his grip over an alleged land-grabbing and real-estate network; and second, the quantum of commission money he allegedly collected in exchange for securing those postings.
Officials noted that the matter encompasses not just financial corruption but also a serious abuse of administrative authority. The ED has reportedly gathered a substantial body of evidence — including bank transaction records, digital data, and witness testimonies — and is working to map the full architecture of the alleged network.
Supplementary Chargesheet Filed
Last week, the ED filed a supplementary chargesheet before a special Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) court in Kolkata, naming Sinha Biswas alongside land mafia figure Biswajit Poddar, also known as Sona Pappu, and real-estate promoter Jay Kamdar. The chargesheet alleges that the three conspired together to illegally seize land and property.
The ED's core allegation in the original case is that Sinha Biswas leveraged his position as a former DCP and his reported proximity to former West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee to coerce property owners into selling land at far below market value, which was then funnelled into real-estate development.
Financial Gains Alleged
Based on its initial findings, the ED has assessed that Sinha Biswas personally gained approximately ₹3 crore from the illegal land-grabbing operation. The supplementary chargesheet further alleges coordinated conspiracy among Poddar, Kamdar, and Sinha Biswas in the land seizure scheme.
Broader Pattern and What Comes Next
This is not an isolated case of police corruption allegations in West Bengal; it is part of a broader ED sweep into alleged nexuses between political proximity, law-enforcement authority, and organised real-estate crime in the state. The addition of the transfer-posting racket angle significantly widens the scope of potential money-laundering liability for Sinha Biswas. As investigators continue to analyse the evidence trail, further chargesheets or arrests cannot be ruled out, according to sources tracking the probe.
Point of View
Not incidental. Using control over postings to entrench a real-estate syndicate is a more sophisticated charge than straightforward bribery; it implies that the police machinery itself was allegedly co-opted as an instrument of organised crime. West Bengal has seen multiple such nexus cases in recent years, yet accountability has moved slowly. The PMLA route, with its burden of proving proceeds of crime, will test whether the evidence trail is tight enough to survive judicial scrutiny — a bar that several high-profile ED cases have struggled to clear.
NationPress
15 Jul 2026
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the new ED investigation against ex-Kolkata DCP Santanu Sinha Biswas about?
The ED has launched a fresh probe into allegations that Sinha Biswas earned commission money by manipulating transfers and postings of sub-inspectors, inspectors, and assistant commissioner-level officers under him. This is separate from an existing money-laundering case against him linked to an alleged multi-crore land-grabbing syndicate.
What does the supplementary PMLA chargesheet allege?
The supplementary chargesheet, filed before a special PMLA court in Kolkata last week, alleges that Sinha Biswas, land mafia figure Biswajit Poddar (alias Sona Pappu), and real-estate promoter Jay Kamdar conspired together to illegally seize land and property. It also maintains that Sinha Biswas personally gained around ₹3 crore from the land-grabbing operation.
How is the transfer-posting racket connected to the land-grabbing case?
According to ED sources, investigators are examining whether Sinha Biswas placed loyalist officers at key police stations specifically to protect and expand an alleged real-estate syndicate. The two angles — commission from postings and syndicate control — are being treated as potentially interlinked.
What evidence has the ED collected so far?
The agency has reportedly gathered bank transaction records, digital evidence, and witness testimonies. Investigators are analysing these to reconstruct the alleged network's full functioning.
What is Sinha Biswas's alleged link to former CM Mamata Banerjee?
The ED has alleged that Sinha Biswas used his reported proximity to former West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee to pressure property owners into selling land at below-market prices for real-estate development. NationPress has not independently verified the nature or extent of that proximity.
