The West Bengal land scam investigation widened on Tuesday when the Criminal Investigation Department searched the Kalighat residence of Sumit Roy, personal assistant to Trinamool Congress general secretary Abhishek Banerjee, and recovered Roy’s mobile phone for forensic examination.
Roy’s residence is next to Banerjee’s house in south Kolkata. CID officers were looking for documents linked to alleged financial transactions in the case and the mobile phone used by Roy, according to a report by Telegraph India. The search ended with the officers taking Roy to Bhabani Bhawan, the CID headquarters in Alipore, where he is already being held in custody.
A senior CID officer said the phone was “a vital piece of evidence” and would be sent for forensic testing to analyse its data. The officer declined to disclose further details, saying it would be unfair to do so while the investigation was continuing.
Roy was arrested last Thursday after the Supreme Court rejected his anticipatory bail plea and withdrew his protection from coercive action. He is now in CID custody following an order by a court in West Midnapore. The CID took over the probe from West Midnapore police.
The investigation centres on allegations that former Trinamool Congress MLA Sujoy Hazra sold large tracts of government land in Salboni using fabricated deeds. Hazra was arrested earlier in June after a person lodged a complaint at Salboni police station alleging forgery and extortion. West Midnapore police officers said Roy’s name emerged during questioning of Hazra.
According to the report, investigators found a financial transaction of more than ₹1 crore between Hazra and Roy. The supplied report does not establish the purpose of the alleged transaction, and the allegations have not been tested in court. The CID’s planned forensic examination of Roy’s phone is expected to form part of the agency’s effort to examine communications and financial links connected with the case.
The case also highlights the administrative challenge involved in alleged government-land fraud: establishing the authenticity of land records, tracing transactions and determining how fabricated deeds may have been used. The investigation began with a police complaint in Salboni and later moved to the state CID after Roy became linked to the inquiry.
Senior West Midnapore police officers said a team had visited Banerjee’s residence on Saturday to locate Roy and question him about the alleged financial transaction. The CID subsequently arrested him after the Supreme Court’s decision on his anticipatory bail plea. The agency’s next stated step is to send the recovered mobile phone for forensic analysis as the investigation proceeds.
