The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Friday filed its first charge sheet against suspended Kolkata Police Deputy Commissioner Shantanu Sinha Biswas in the multi-crore property grabbing and illegal land deals case, stating that he has not cooperated during interrogation since his arrest on May 14, said an official of the federal agency, who requested anonymity.
“The chargesheet under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) has been filed in the special ED court in Kolkata,” the official said.
The land deals emerged weeks before the recent Assembly elections in which the BJP ousted the Trinamool Congress. Sinha Biswas was in charge of the security of then Prime Minister Mamata Banerjee until May 4, when the election results were announced. He was cited for this job profile for skipping an emergency department call on five occasions prior to his arrest. Earlier, he was the officer-in-charge of Kalighat police station, which has jurisdiction over Banerjee’s residence.
The ED is probing Sinha Biswas’ suspected contacts with Biswajit Poddar alias Sona Babu, an alleged land grabber with political connections who was arrested by the agency on May 19, and the third prime suspect, Kolkata-based businessman JS Kamdar, who was arrested on April 20.
After questioning the three accused, who are still in custody, the police department said in a statement in June that Shantanu Sinha Biswas “appears to have assisted JS Kamdar in his illegal activities in exchange for financial benefits for himself and his family members. The investigation also revealed that Shantanu Sinha Biswas was the principal coordinator and principal officer of the (now disbanded) West Bengal and Kolkata Police Welfare Committees, a unique position that provided significant influence over a large number of police officers.”
“The investigation also revealed that JS Kamdar enjoyed significant influence and influence among a section of police officers and misused it to obtain favors and lodge complaints against unsuspected individuals in matters relating to land. The documents and digital evidence seized show that JS Kamdar and his associates were habitually engaging in a systematic and deliberate course of conduct with the aim of illegally acquiring valuable immovable properties from their rightful owners,” the CEO said.
“The investigation conducted by the ED under PMLA so far has revealed that the proceeds of crime were obtained through illegal activities including extortion, seizure of properties and construction of unauthorized buildings through entities controlled by Biswajit Poddar alias Sona Babu, Jai Kamdar and his associates,” the CEO said.
