ED Raids Kolkata Cop’s Home; Businessman Arrested in Money-Laundering Case
Kolkata/New Delhi: The Enforcement Directorate (ED) conducted a raid on Sunday at the home of Shantanu Sinha Biswas, a Deputy Commissioner of Police with Kolkata’s Special Branch. During this operation, they also arrested local businessman Joy Kamdar as part of an investigation into suspected money laundering tied to illegal land deals and extortion.
This action by the ED occurred amidst the ongoing election season in Bengal and shortly after tax officials had raided the residence of TMC candidate Debashis Kumar and one of Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee’s supporters, Miraj Shah, in the Bhowanipore constituency. Speaking at a rally in Tarakeshwar, Mamata criticized the ED’s actions, stating, “The house of my security guard was raided as well. Are they trying to silence me? They raid us every day, and we will pursue legal action for every incident.”
Joy Kamdar, who manages several real estate firms, was taken into custody after being questioned at the ED’s office. The raid at his home in Behala reportedly uncovered cash amounting to ₹1.2 crore. Notably, Kamdar had ignored two previous ED summonses. The ED also searched DCP Biswas’s residence in Ballygunge, but he was not home at the time. His lawyer described the raids as “unexpected.”
The ongoing investigation focuses on a syndicate allegedly led by Biswajit Podder, also known as Sona Pappu, accused of engaging in illegal land transactions and extortion. During earlier searches, the ED seized a Toyota Fortuner and a revolver imported from the U.S. Investigators believe that illicit money was funneled through various shell and front companies to make it appear legitimate.
