New Delhi : On Friday, even before dawn had fully broken, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) embarked on, perhaps, its most sweeping operations in Bengal in recent years. In fact, after the BJP’s election win, central agencies have launched an aggressive crackdown on criminal syndicates and extortion gangs that the party claims were in cahoots with the TMC.
The ED believes Kolkata DCP Shantanu Sinha Biswas and Pappu, alias Biswajit Poddar, were central figures in an alleged racket involving land grabbing, extortion, illegal construction, and hawala dealings. Biswas and Pappu, who was on the run for over three months, were arrested by the ED last week, triggering a major stir in Bengal. It has led to speculation that the probe could lead to more high-profile names and explosive revelations.
One ED team landed at the former DCP’s luxurious ancestral home in Murshidabad’s Kandi town. However, the gates were locked. Drama ensued as the ED officers broke open the gates and barged in. Stunned locals watched in silence as the raid unfolded. The image was a far cry from when ED officers were allegedly attacked by TMC goons during a raid at the residence of former TMC leader and strongman Sheikh Shahjahan in Sandeshkhali.
ED teams also conducted raids at a popular hotel in Kolkata, the residence of a businessman, and the house of a Kolkata Police sub-inspector. The developments have firmly brought into focus the nexus between former DCP Shantanu Biswas and Sona Pappu. The first to be arrested was Biswas on May 15. After skipping four summons by the ED, he was eventually taken into custody after a marathon 11-hour questioning. In fact, a lookout notice was issued against Biswas just a day after the election results were declared on May 4.
Biswas’s name surfaced after the ED arrested Joy Kamdar, the managing director of Sun Enterprise. “WhatsApp chat leaks and digital data seized from Kamdar revealed suspicious financial transactions linking Biswas to the Sona Pappu network, including a Rs 2.5 crore transaction,” a senior ED official told The Indian Express. Significantly, four days after Biswas’s arrest, the ED nabbed Sona Pappu.
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