ED Arrest Triggers Dismissal of Kolkata Police Deputy Commissioner

The Enforcement Directorate’s recent crackdown on an alleged land-grabbing syndicate has led to the abrupt termination of Kolkata Deputy Commissioner Shantanu Sinha Biswas. State officials announced the move hours after Biswas was taken into custody, ending a service extension that was originally sanctioned by the previous administration. Insiders at Nabanna reveal that the government chose not to offer Biswas the option of resignation, a departure from the approach taken with other extended-tenure officers. The officer reportedly evaded initial summons by going into hiding, forcing the Enforcement Directorate to issue a lookout circular before detaining him following a marathon ten-hour interrogation. The probe focuses on a nexus involving history-sheeter Biswajit Poddar, alias Sona Pappu, and real-estate developer Joy Kamdar. Investigators allege that the trio, with help from select police personnel, pressured rightful owners into parting with valuable plots by filing false cases at local stations. The properties were later resold at inflated rates, generating large profits for the syndicate. Twelve more officers—mostly inspectors and sub-inspectors—are now under the scanner for their alleged roles in the scheme. Senior officials say the investigation is far from over and additional arrests cannot be ruled out.