Kolkata DCP Shantanu Sinha Biswas and Sons Summoned by ED in Money-Laundering Investigation
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Kolkata, April 20 (NationPress) The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has summoned Kolkata's Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP) Shantanu Sinha Biswas along with his two sons for questioning related to a money-laundering network tied to the infamous gangster Sona Pappu, who is currently evading arrest.
On the previous day, the ED conducted extensive raids at the residence of Sinha Biswas on Fern Road in South Kolkata and at a coaching institute operated by one of his sons.
Sources familiar with the situation revealed that Sinha Biswas, who previously served as the officer-in-charge of Kalighat Police Station—which oversees the official residence of West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee—had established connections with both Sona Pappu and a local promoter. The promoter, Joy Kamdar, was apprehended by the ED on Monday.
Further information suggests that the summons were issued to investigate potential financial associations between Biswas, his sons, Kamdar, and Sona Pappu. The ED has gathered significant evidence indicating financial ties between Pappu and Kamdar.
Despite his arrest, Kamdar was unable to appear before a special court for the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) in Kolkata on Monday, as he reported feeling unwell after his arrest on Sunday night and was subsequently admitted to R.G. Kar Medical College & Hospital.
The ED's counsel informed the PMLA court that approximately Rs 500 crore had been deposited into Kamdar’s account over the past four months. Allegations were also made in court regarding Kamdar’s connections with various politically influential individuals, a matter currently under investigation by the ED.
In an earlier raid, the ED had seized around Rs 1.5 crore in cash from Kamdar's residence, along with several digital devices.
Based on data retrieved from these devices, the ED asserted that approximately Rs 40 crore had been transferred from a registered educational trust to the accounts of numerous fraudulent organizations or shell companies.
Currently, there are 25 shell entities under scrutiny by the ED, as investigators work to uncover who established these entities and the volume of transactions that occurred through them.