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. At the heart of the probe lies a startling nexus – a senior Kolkata Police officer who was previously in charge of the area where Mamata Banerjee resides and notorious strongman Sona Pappu, often described as the TMC’s ‘golden boy’.
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.
ED CRACKDOWN ON SYNDICATES
On Friday, ED teams fanned out across nine locations in Kolkata and Murshidabad linked to Biswas and Pappu. 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.
On Friday, the ED officers spoke to locals outside the premises before breaking in. Biswas’s sister, Gauri Sinha Biswas, who is the vice-chairperson of Kandi Municipality, was not present at the residence. In fact, the house was locked for nearly a week.
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.
WHO IS EX-DCP SHANTANU BISWAS?
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. There was a buzz that he may attempt to flee the country.
The central agency has alleged that Biswas worked in a syndicate along with Sona Pappu. He is separately being investigated for possible involvement in a sand smuggling racket.
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.
The arrest of Biswas has grabbed attention as he once oversaw the high-security Kalighat area – home to former chief minister Mamata Banerjee.
SONA PAPPU’S ARREST CREATES STIR
Significantly, four days after Biswas’s arrest, the ED nabbed Sona Pappu. Pappu, once seen as an untouchable figure with deep political connections and close links with the TMC, faces 15 cases of attempted murder, extortion, and Arms Act violations. In the past, photos showing him with several TMC leaders have surfaced.
Thus, Pappu’s arrest is being viewed as one of the biggest crackdowns yet by the BJP government in its escalating action against alleged criminal syndicates linked to the TMC.
“I am a businessman, not a criminal,” Pappu told the media as he was being arrested. However, Pappu has long remained a controversial figure in Bengal’s criminal and political circles. Allegations of intimidation, extortion, and illegal real estate operations surfaced frequently, but no action was taken against him.
The BJP has previously alleged that Pappu had a free hand as he was the right-hand man of TMC MP and Mamata’s nephew Abhishek Banerjee.
In the court, the ED claimed Pappu terrorised owners into selling high-value properties at throwaway prices. One of the properties, worth Rs 5 crore, was sold for Rs 1 crore, an ED officer told TOI.
The probe has also revealed illegal international cross-border hawala transactions, suggesting that the case stretches much beyond Bengal’s borders.
– Ends
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