Nearly 30 Kolkata Police officers under ED scanner in land grab case

Police officers of various ranks are suspected of ties to a syndicate that allegedly forced senior citizens to sell property below market rates. Investigators believe the group used intimidation and police influence.

Kolkata: Nearly 30 Kolkata Police personnel are under the ED scanner in connection with an alleged land-grabbing racket in the city, a senior official of the central probe agency said on Monday.

Police personnel of different ranks are suspected of having links with a syndicate accused of coercing senior citizens into selling properties at below-market prices, he said.

"Several police personnel have come under the scanner during the course of the investigation. Their exact role is being examined," a 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.

Some data from the seized mobile phones appears to have been deleted. Efforts are underway to retrieve the information through forensic examination, he added.

The Enforcement Directorate (ED) is currently probing the role of three arrested accused, Biswajit Poddar alias Sona Pappu, former Kolkata Police deputy commissioner Santanu Sinha Biswas, and businessman Joy Kamdar, in the alleged racket.

Investigators suspect that the syndicate operated through intimidation and misuse of police influence.

While Sona Pappu allegedly threatened targeted property owners, Biswas is accused of using local police machinery to mount pressure on 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.

As part of the investigation, ED officials on Friday 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 Murshidabad district.

The raids were conducted based on information gathered during the interrogation of Sona Pappu and Sinha Biswas, sources said.

The officials of the central probe agency are also examining the money trail and probing information related to properties allegedly owned by Sinha Biswas outside West Bengal, including possible assets in Dubai, the officer added.

Sona Pappu was arrested by the ED last week after several hours of grilling, a few days after nabbing Sinha Biswas. Kamdar had earlier been arrested in April in connection with the same case.