Kolkata: The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Wednesday urged the office of the Director of Securities of West Bengal government to ask the absconding Deputy Commissioner of Kolkata Police, Santanu Sinha Biswas, to appear before the Investigating Official of the central probe agency to face questioning in connection with two cases of money laundering where his name had been linked.
The ED, at the same time, had sought details of Sinha Biswas’s service records so far.
Incidentally, the central agency had served a number of notices to Sinha Biswas, known as an extremely close confidante of the previous West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, asking him to be present at the ED’s Salt Lake office in the northern outskirts of Kolkata to face questioning in the two money laundering-related cases.
However, the Deputy Commissioner of Kolkata Police avoided appearing at the ED’s office repeatedly and his family members and close associates could not say anything about his whereabouts.
Finally on May 5, the day after the results of the recently concluded West Bengal Assembly elections were announced, the ED issued a lookout notice against Sinha Biswas in anticipation that he might try to escape from the country amid the landslide poll defeat of the Trinamool Congress.
The central agency recently expanded its investigation into a high-profile money laundering case involving a sophisticated network of individuals and shell companies in West Bengal and conducted raid and search operations at the residence of Sinha Biswas in relation to the case.
Recently, the ED officials arrested a Kolkata-based businessman Joy Kamdar in connection with the laundering case and investigation revealed Kamdar’s close links with Sinha Biswas.
It is alleged that Kamdar provided expensive gifts and favours several police officers, including Sinha Biswas and their families, to gain influence within the police department.
This influence was allegedly misused to file fraudulent complaints against individuals, particularly in disputes involving high-value immovable properties.
While the residential premises of Sinha Biswas were searched last month, the police officer was not present during the process and subsequently did not appear before ED’s investigation official for questioning despite multiple summons.
Sinha Biswas, had long been accused by nearly all the opposition parties in the state, including the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), of acting as an agent of the previous ruling Trinamool Congress in uniform.
There had been several instances where Sinha Biswas was spotted in police programmes addressing Mamata Banerjee as “Mother” and explaining to the fellow police officers about the necessity of serving the former Chief Minister’s interests.
(IANS)
