Kolkata: After conducting a marathon raid and search operation in connection with a money laundering case at the residence of the former West Bengal Tourism Minister Indranil Sen, that lasted for over 16 hours, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) has now summoned him for questioning in the matter at the central agency’s Salt Lake office in the northern outskirts of Kolkata.
Sen, a singer-turned-politician, has been asked to be present at the ED office by 11 a.m. on Wednesday.
However, the former West Bengal minister has denied all the charges against him and even threatened legal action in the matter for the alleged harassment faced by him and his family members.
On Tuesday, different teams of ED officials conducted simultaneous raids and search operations at ten places, including the residence of Sen and his wife, Madhuchhanda Sen, in Kasba, South Kolkata.
The other places where the raid and search operations were conducted included the residences of some of Sen’s relatives and the house of an event manager, Arijit Dasgupta.
The main charge in the matter against Sen and his wife is of selling “fake passes” on the name of Durga Puja tours, using the UNESCO tag. It is initially estimated that around Rs 60 crore was involved, said sources.
ED began the investigation into the matter based on a complaint lodged by an individual, Joydeep Mukherjee, a victim of fraud, at the Bowbazar Police Station in June. However, Sen, since the beginning, has denied all the allegations raised against him.
To recall, in 2021, Kolkata Durga Puja was recognised by UNESCO. After that, an organisation called ‘Mass Art’ was formed, which claimed to be UNESCO’s “official partner”.
They started promoting Durga Puja. The sale of passes for the Durga Puja parikrama started. But those passes sold at high prices were actually fake. Sen’s wife, Madhuchhanda, was closely associated with this organisation.
Entry passes, or tickets, were sold at high prices by illegally using the UNESCO name and logo in the name of the ‘preview show’ or puja parikrama of Kolkata’s Durga Puja, as per the allegations. The ED alleges that there was corruption of around 60 crore.
It is further learnt that passes for about 24 Durga Puja “preview shows” in Kolkata were sold at high prices. In some cases, the price of these passes ranged from Rs 1,749 to Rs 5,499.
The said entity claimed that UNESCO had selected those 24 puja pandals. But so far, no truth has been found, according to sources aware of the development. It is alleged that money has been embezzled in the name of “preview show” passes.
Initial investigation revealed that about 19,000 people registered to receive these passes in 2022; 34,000 registered in 2023; and 61,000 in 2024
(IANS)
