The Enforcement Directorate has provisionally attached immovable properties worth Rs 2.78 crore belonging to former Kolkata Police deputy commissioner Santanu Sinha Biswas, his family and associates in the alleged Sona Pappu money-laundering case, according to a notice issued by the agency on Thursday.
The Kolkata property attachment covers three flats in the city and a plot of land in Kandi, Murshidabad, the ED said. The action has been taken under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act in a case arising from multiple FIRs registered by the state police against Biswajit Poddar, also known as Sona Pappu, and his associates.
The FIRs relate to allegations including murder, extortion and land grabbing. The ED has said its investigation also concerns the alleged generation of proceeds through land and house कब्जा-related activities, as well as illegal construction, carried out through entities controlled by Sona Pappu, Jay S Kamdar and their associates.
The agency had conducted searches at several locations in Kolkata and adjoining areas on April 1, April 19, April 26 and May 22. During those operations, officials seized Rs 1.64 crore in cash, gold jewellery, a Toyota Fortuner, an unlicensed revolver, documents and digital devices, according to the report.
The ED subsequently arrested Biswas, Kamdar and Poddar under Section 19 of the PMLA. All three are currently in judicial custody, the agency said. The arrests and property action remain part of an ongoing investigation, and the allegations have not been established by a court.
The agency has alleged that Biswas acquired at least Rs 2.89 crore in illegal assets and financial benefits, directly and indirectly, through the alleged criminal activities. It further claimed that he used companies, family members and close associates to conceal the ownership of properties allegedly acquired from those proceeds.
Among the properties cited by the ED are two flats in Hossainpur, Kolkata. The agency alleged that the flats were purchased on Biswas’s instructions and for his benefit but were recorded in the name of a company. The claim places property ownership structures and the use of corporate or family names at the centre of the investigation.
Biswas had earlier served as officer-in-charge of Kalighat police station before being promoted to deputy commissioner in the Kolkata Police. The ED has alleged that his association with Kamdar began during his tenure at Kalighat and that he provided support to the alleged illegal operations. It has also claimed that Kamdar used his proximity to Biswas to exert influence within the police establishment.
The case has already produced multiple filings before the court. The ED submitted its main chargesheet against Kamdar on June 17, followed by a first supplementary chargesheet against Biswas on July 10 and a second supplementary chargesheet against Poddar on July 17. The agency said its investigation is continuing.
