Kolkata: After the arrest of Kolkata Police deputy commissioner Santanu Sinha Biswas, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) is now probing the role of nearly 30 other police personnel of the city in an alleged land-grabbing racket.
These police personnel, of various ranks, are suspected of having links with a syndicate accused of coercing senior citizens into selling properties at below-market prices, an official told PTI.
“Several police personnel have come under the scanner during the course of the investigation. Their exact role is being examined,” the senior ED official familiar with the investigation said.
“We have come across certain documents and digital evidence which are being analysed. The probe is now focused on establishing the money trail and identifying all beneficiaries,” he said.
Efforts are underway to retrieve some data from the seized mobile phones that ha
ve been deleted through forensic examination, he added.
Apart from Sinha Biswas, the ED also arrested Biswajit Poddar alias Sona Pappu, and businessman Joy Kamdar. The ED is now scanning their roles in the alleged racket.
The syndicate operated through intimidation and misuse of police influence, the investigators suspect.
Initial probe has revealed that While Sona Pappu would allegedly threaten targeted property owners, Sinha Biswas used local police machinery to mount pressure on the victims, forcing them to part with their land at undervalued rates. The properties were then allegedly acquired and developed through business links connected to Kamdar.
On Friday, ED officials carried out searches at multiple locations linked to businessman Mohammad Ali alias Max Raju, Saurav Adhikari, nephew of Sinha Biswas, and sub-inspector Ruhil Amin Ali. They also searched the residence of Sinha Biswas in the Murshidabad district.
These raids were conducted based on information gathered during the interrogation of Sona Pappu and Sinha Biswas, sources said.
The money trail is also being examined by the sleuths. Information related to properties allegedly owned by Sinha Biswas outside West Bengal, including possible assets in Dubai, is also being examined, the official added.