The Enforcement Directorate (ED) launched a series of simultaneous, early-morning raids across West Bengal, targeting a high-profile extortion and land-grabbing network. The financial watchdog is unravelling a deep-seated criminal syndicate allegedly involving former Kolkata Police Deputy Commissioner Santanu Sinha Biswas and a notorious history-sheeter, Biswajit Podder, widely known by his alias, Sona Pappu.

The coordinated search operations began around 6 am at multiple properties across the state. In Kolkata, federal investigators focused heavily on commercial and residential spots, including a hotel on Roy Street and the private residence of an active Kolkata Police sub-inspector suspected of being a close associate. Concurrently, a separate ED team traveled to the ancestral home of Biswas, located in Kandi town within the Murshidabad district. Finding the premises heavily locked from the outside, investigators broke open the lock to gain entry and execute the search warrant.

This aggressive wave of raids follows the formal arrest of Biswas by central investigators on May 14. The former top cop was taken into custody after he repeatedly did not cooperate with the ongoing investigation and intentionally withheld vital operational information. Before his eventual appearance at the central agency's main office in Kolkata, Biswas had repeatedly skipped multiple summons. A well-known figure within the state's police hierarchy, Biswas previously served in high-profile roles, including as the Inspector-in-Charge (IC) of the strategically vital Kalighat Police Station in Kolkata. His family also holds prominent political ties; his sister, Gauri Sinha Biswas, currently holds office as the Vice-Chairperson of the Kandi Municipality.

The investigation expanded further on May 18, when the ED arrested the suspected criminal kingpin Sona Pappu following several grueling rounds of interrogation. According to official findings released by the agency, Sona Pappu orchestrated the extensive extortion and property racket alongside a prominent local businessman, Jay Kamdar. Central investigators strongly suspect that Biswas systematically facilitated the operations of this extortion racket by leveraging his official authority and police influence to shield the criminal ring from legal consequences.

Prior to his arrest, Pappu had been actively evading law enforcement. He was a wanted man in connection with a major incident of street violence in South Kolkata and had successfully remained absconding for about three months. He finally turned up before the investigative agency only after being served multiple strict summons. The criminal dossier against Pappu is substantial; several charges, including extortion, rioting, attempted murder, criminal conspiracy, and severe violations under the Arms Act, have been formally levelled against him by state and federal authorities.

Tracking the Money Trail: Earlier Investigations and Sealed Assets

This morning's crackdown is the continuation of a rapidly growing financial investigation. On April 19, the central agency executed an earlier round of raids targeting properties directly tied to Biswas, which included his upscale residence in the Ballygunge area and an additional flat located at Fern Road. Simultaneously, search teams swarmed properties linked directly to businessman Jay Kamdar in the Behala neighborhood. Those actions yielded significant breakthroughs, with several important documents reportedly discovered by the ED officials during the search operations, mapping out hidden financial networks and undervalued property transactions.

These discoveries tie directly back to an even earlier, highly successful raid executed on April 1. During that specific operation, federal agents seized ₹1.47 crore in hard cash, a massive stash of physical gold and silver valued at well over Rs 67 lakh, and an unlicensed country-made revolver hidden on the premises.

This is far from the first instance where Biswas has found his actions under intense federal scrutiny. Previously, his name surfaced during a sweeping cross-state investigation, and he was officially summoned by the ED’s central Delhi office in connection with a massive illegal coal mining case. He chose not to appear for that questioning. Furthermore, the former Deputy Commissioner is facing active investigation in a series of separate, ongoing probes into institutional corruption. Most notably, these include alleged irregularities in admissions under the highly lucrative NRI quota in private medical institutions, such as the prominent KPC Medical College.

The controversial legacy of the senior officer also carries sharp political overtones. During the recent assembly elections in West Bengal, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) formally approached the Election Commission, requesting the immediate transfer of the then-DCP Biswas, alongside fellow officers Bijitaswa Routh (IC) and Rahul Amin Ali Shah (SI) of the soul-state Kolkata Police force, completely out of the state during polling. In their formal complaint, the BJP leaders pointed to a major controversy, stating that the three named individuals actively appealed for ensuring the victory of Mamata Banerjee and the ruling TMC party during a major public address at the State Conference of the West Bengal Police Welfare Committee.