ED Arrests Kolkata Police DCP in Alleged Extortion and Money Laundering Probe
ED Arrests Kolkata Police DCP in Alleged Extortion and Money Laundering Probe
Kolkata, May 16 : The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has arrested senior Kolkata Police officer Shantanu Sinha Biswas in connection with an alleged extortion-linked money laundering network that investigators claim operated through a criminal syndicate in West Bengal.
Biswas, who currently serves as Deputy Commissioner of Police in Kolkata Police’s Special Branch, was taken into custody after prolonged questioning at the ED’s Kolkata office. Officials said the interrogation lasted several hours before the agency decided to proceed with the arrest under provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA).
According to investigators, the case revolves around alleged financial dealings connected to Biswajit Poddar, also known as “Sona Pappu,” a figure accused in multiple criminal cases including extortion, land grabbing, violence, and illegal syndicate operations. The ED suspects that proceeds generated through these activities were routed through various channels and linked to individuals associated with the network.
Officials said the agency had earlier issued several summonses to Biswas, but he allegedly failed to appear on multiple occasions, prompting authorities to circulate a lookout notice to prevent him from leaving the country. The notice had been shared across airports and other transit points earlier this month.
The ED had also conducted raids at properties linked to the officer in April as part of the ongoing investigation. Searches were carried out at his Ballygunge and Fern Road residences, while parallel action targeted businessman Joy Kamdar, who is also under scrutiny in the same case. During earlier raids linked to the syndicate probe, investigators reportedly recovered cash, jewellery, and other valuables from various premises connected to the accused network.
Sources familiar with the investigation claim financial records and seized documents indicated possible connections between Biswas, businessman Joy Kamdar, and associates linked to the alleged syndicate. The ED is examining whether illegal earnings from extortion, land-related disputes, and other unlawful activities were laundered through business fronts and property transactions.
The arrest has triggered significant political and administrative attention in West Bengal, particularly because it involves a serving senior police officer. The case also comes amid heightened scrutiny of alleged “syndicate” operations in parts of the state, a term often used in Bengal politics to describe organised networks accused of controlling land deals, construction activities, and local extortion rackets.
Sona Pappu, considered a key figure in the investigation, remains absconding. Enforcement officials have stated that efforts are continuing to trace his whereabouts and identify the wider financial trail linked to the alleged criminal network.
The ED is expected to produce Biswas before a special court in Kolkata as it seeks further custodial interrogation to expand the probe into the alleged syndicate and its financial operations.
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