The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Thursday arrested Kolkata Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP) Shantanu Sinha Biswas in connection with the high-profile Sona Pappu case dealing with accusations of extortion, money laundering and land grabbing, sources said.
The central agency arrested Ghosh after he allegedly failed to appear before the agency despite being served multiple summons during the course of the investigation.
Officials said a lookout notice had also been issued against the senior police officer before his arrest. The arrest is being seen as a significant development in the ongoing probe being conducted by the Enforcement Directorate in the high-profile case.
Summons against Kolkata DCP
On April 28, a day before the second phase of the Assembly elections, the ED summoned the Kolkata DCP to the CGO Complex in Kolkata in connection with the Sona Pappu case. However, he did not appear before the agency.
Fearing that Sinha Biswas might leave the country, the ED approached the court and secured a lookout notice against him. Officials said the agency also wrote to the Directorate of Security after repeated non-compliance with summons notices.
According to ED officials, the agency was seeking details about Sinha Biswas’s current posting, duty status and whereabouts to ensure his appearance before investigators.
What is the Sona Pappu case?
Sona Pappu, a resident of Ballygunge in Kolkata, faces multiple allegations, including land grabbing, extortion and offences under the Arms Act. Based on these complaints, the ED launched a probe and had earlier arrested businessman Joy Kamdar from Behala in connection with the case.
Last month, the ED conducted raids at Sinha Biswas’s residence on Fern Road in Kolkata. The searches reportedly began early in the morning and continued till around 2 am. The next day, the agency summoned Sinha Biswas along with his two sons, Sayantan and Manish, for questioning in the same case. None of them appeared before the ED.
Earlier in April, the ED had also summoned Sinha Biswas, who was then serving as Officer in Charge of Kalighat Police Station, in connection with a sand smuggling investigation. Though his lawyer visited the ED office, the officer himself did not appear and reportedly sought additional time, citing prior commitments.
According to officials, Sinha Biswas was served summons notices five times but failed to appear before the agency. Investigators suspected that continued non-cooperation could indicate attempts to evade the probe.
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