The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has issued a watch notice against Kolkata Police Deputy Commissioner Shantanu Sinha Biswas in connection with a money laundering case, an official said on Tuesday.
The surveillance notice was distributed across airports, railway stations and other transit points to prevent possible attempts by the official to leave the country.
This came after Biswas evaded several subpoenas issued by the agency during the investigation, with the CEO saying that in the past he had received notices to appear at least five times. Biswas was also the principal coordinator and nodal officer of the West Bengal and Kolkata Police Social Welfare Committee.
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“He has received notices to appear before the agency on five occasions, but has not appeared even once. Given his continued non-cooperation, we suspect that he may try to evade the investigation by traveling abroad,” news agency PTI quoted the official as saying.
Raids were conducted at the residence of senior policemen in Kolkata
Before the surveillance notice, the ED conducted raids on two residences of the Kolkata Deputy Commissioner of Police, including his residence in Ballygunge area, PTI reported.
When the raids took place, Biswas was not present in the building, according to officials. The central agency has now alleged that Biswas also failed to comply with multiple summons issued to him.
A day after the ED raided Biswas’s residence on Fern Road in Kolkata, his two sons – Sayantan and Manish – were also summoned by the agency to their CGO complex office. However, they also did not show up, the agency claimed, citing sources. Another official said: “A surveillance memorandum containing details of the charges against him has been issued to ensure that he remains available for questioning.”
What is the case against Biswas?
The building was raided against Biswas under the provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), according to a PTI report. Besides Biswas, the residence of businessman Joy Kamdar, managing director of a company called Sun Enterprise, was also raided.
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Kamdar was taken by officials for interrogation. This was linked to a money laundering case against an alleged local criminal named Biswajeet Podder alias Sona Babu, who has been booked in multiple cases on charges of attempted murder and extortion.
The first round of searches in the case was conducted on April 1, during which the federal investigating agency seized a cash value $1.47, and gold and silver jewelry worth 1.47 $67.64 lakh, PTI reported. Apart from these, a locally made pistol was also recovered.
The investigation was initiated after Kolkata Police lodged an FIR against Poudhar for his alleged involvement in rioting, attempt to murder, criminal conspiracy and violations of the Arms Act.
Apart from this, Biswas was also summoned in connection with the sand smuggling case, where allegations of financial irregularities had surfaced against him.
