Preliminary findings of the Special Investigation Team (SIT) of Kolkata Police and the Enforcement Directorate (ED) have revealed how arrested former West Bengal minister Indranil Sen allegedly routed financial transactions linked to the multi-crore fake UNESCO-tagged Durga Puja pass scam through family members and associated business entities — deliberately steering clear of his own bank accounts. Sen, a former Tourism Minister and former Minister of State for Information and Cultural Affairs, was arrested in connection with the fraud.

What investigators found in Sen's personal accounts

According to sources in Kolkata Police, scrutiny of five personal bank accounts belonging to Indranil Sen revealed unusually low balances and no significant inflow or outflow of funds over the past several years. Investigators reportedly found no unusual inward or outward remittances across these accounts when transaction patterns were examined over the last couple of years.

'In contrast, investigators noticed hefty inward and outward transactions in the bank accounts of Sen's family members and the corporate entities they own. This gave our investigators a clear idea of how the former West Bengal minister avoided using his own bank accounts to carry out the transactions with the intention to keep himself clean in the entire scam,' a city police source said.

The money trail and ED's role

The transaction patterns have also come to the notice of ED officials probing the same case. The central agency is now thoroughly examining the money trail across all linked bank accounts to identify other beneficiaries in the multi-crore scam. This dual-agency probe — combining Kolkata Police's SIT and the ED — signals the scale and financial complexity of the alleged fraud.

At the centre of the scheme is Mass Art, the entity through which the fake passes were reportedly sold. Mass Art is owned by Sen's wife, Madhuchhanda Sen. Its secretary, Dhrybojyoti Basu, was remanded to police custody till 13 November by a city court on Thursday.

Custody details and court proceedings

Indranil Sen remains in police custody and is set to be produced before a city court on 10 November. The SIT is simultaneously interrogating both Sen and Basu, and at times conducting joint sessions, to piece together a fuller picture of the scam's operations and financial flows.

'Our investigating officers aim to gather evidence-based information in the case as much as possible and present it in court to prevent the former minister from getting bail in the case,' the police source said.

Background and significance

The case centres on the alleged sale of fake passes fraudulently tagged to UNESCO's recognition of Kolkata's Durga Puja — a cultural designation that carries significant public prestige. The alleged use of proxies and corporate shells to conceal financial flows is a pattern investigators say they are now mapping in full. This comes amid broader scrutiny of financial misconduct tied to public events and government-affiliated figures in West Bengal. As the probe deepens, more beneficiaries could be named in the coming weeks.