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The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has initiated proceedings to attach a sprawling bungalow linked to former Kolkata Police deputy commissioner Santanu Sinha Biswas in Murshidabad district after his arrest in the alleged Sona Pappu land grab and fraud case, officials said on Saturday.
The action follows extensive raids by ED officials across West Bengal during which investigators recovered more than 2 kg of gold worth nearly ₹3 crore, large quantities of cash and multiple property-related documents, PTI quoted agency sources as saying.
ED teams on Friday searched Sinha’s ancestral property in Murshidabad’s Kandi town after allegedly breaking open locks when keys were not made available for several hours. Parallel searches were also carried out at multiple Kolkata locations, including the residence of a sub-inspector and businessman Atul Kataria’s house in Chakraberia.
The agency is probing allegations of illegal land acquisition, cheating and criminal conspiracy linked to the Sona Pappu case. During the investigation, officials said, alleged links between Sinha and prime accused Sona Pappu also surfaced.
According to ED officials, Sinha’s ancestral home in Kandi had remained dilapidated for years before undergoing rapid transformation into a lavishly renovated property. Investigators suspect funds allegedly routed through Sona Pappu were used for the renovation and upkeep of the bungalow.
Officials from the Kandi Block Land and Land Reforms office confirmed that nearly 50 decimals of land are registered in the former officer’s name.
“We have handed over all relevant land-related documents sought by the investigating agency,” a land reforms official said.
The ED said it has also identified several additional properties allegedly linked to the former IPS officer.
Local residents claimed Sinha visited the property occasionally, while his sister Gouri Sinha Biswas, vice-chairperson of the Trinamool Congress-run Kandi Municipality, stayed there regularly.
Investigators said three rooms of the house were under her supervision, while several locked rooms allegedly used by Sinha yielded key documents during the searches.
According to ED officials, the property was equipped with seven two-ton air-conditioners, CCTV surveillance systems, high-speed broadband connectivity and an eight-foot boundary wall topped with barbed wire.
“Technical evidence suggests the premises were being remotely monitored from Kolkata through mobile-linked surveillance systems,” an ED official said.
The central agency is now examining seized digital records and property documents to trace the alleged money trail and determine the scale of financial irregularities linked to the land fraud investigation.
The action follows extensive raids by ED officials across West Bengal during which investigators recovered more than 2 kg of gold worth nearly ₹3 crore, large quantities of cash and multiple property-related documents, PTI quoted agency sources as saying.
ED teams on Friday searched Sinha’s ancestral property in Murshidabad’s Kandi town after allegedly breaking open locks when keys were not made available for several hours. Parallel searches were also carried out at multiple Kolkata locations, including the residence of a sub-inspector and businessman Atul Kataria’s house in Chakraberia.
The agency is probing allegations of illegal land acquisition, cheating and criminal conspiracy linked to the Sona Pappu case. During the investigation, officials said, alleged links between Sinha and prime accused Sona Pappu also surfaced.
According to ED officials, Sinha’s ancestral home in Kandi had remained dilapidated for years before undergoing rapid transformation into a lavishly renovated property. Investigators suspect funds allegedly routed through Sona Pappu were used for the renovation and upkeep of the bungalow.
Officials from the Kandi Block Land and Land Reforms office confirmed that nearly 50 decimals of land are registered in the former officer’s name.
“We have handed over all relevant land-related documents sought by the investigating agency,” a land reforms official said.
The ED said it has also identified several additional properties allegedly linked to the former IPS officer.
Local residents claimed Sinha visited the property occasionally, while his sister Gouri Sinha Biswas, vice-chairperson of the Trinamool Congress-run Kandi Municipality, stayed there regularly.
Investigators said three rooms of the house were under her supervision, while several locked rooms allegedly used by Sinha yielded key documents during the searches.
According to ED officials, the property was equipped with seven two-ton air-conditioners, CCTV surveillance systems, high-speed broadband connectivity and an eight-foot boundary wall topped with barbed wire.
“Technical evidence suggests the premises were being remotely monitored from Kolkata through mobile-linked surveillance systems,” an ED official said.
The central agency is now examining seized digital records and property documents to trace the alleged money trail and determine the scale of financial irregularities linked to the land fraud investigation.
