Now Reading: ED Probes Kolkata Police Officers in Land-Grabbing Case
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ED Probes Kolkata Police Officers in Land-Grabbing Case
The Enforcement Directorate is examining the alleged role of around 30 Kolkata Police officers in a land-grabbing network involving former deputy commissioner Shantanu Sinha Biswas, Biswajit Poddar alias Sona Pappu and businessman Joy Kamdar. The officers, from different ranks, were allegedly posted at police stations by Biswas and used to summon landowners after receiving details of targeted properties.
Investigators allege that landowners were intimidated at police stations and pressured to sell their properties to Kamdar at low prices. The ED is questioning Biswas to identify other police personnel who may have been involved. It has also searched the residence of reserve-force constable Ruhul Amin and Biswas’s ancestral home in Kandi, Murshidabad. The searches reportedly yielded incriminating documents, cash and about 2 kg of gold valued at around Rs 3 crore.
Indian Opinion Analysis
Under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act, the ED can provisionally attach property suspected to represent proceeds of crime, but such action requires confirmation through the statutory adjudication process. Arrests, prosecutions and confiscation still depend on evidence tested in court. Police officers named in an investigation can face departmental action separately from any criminal case. The next concrete signals will be any formal arrests, property-attachment orders or chargesheets.
Source: millenniumpost.in
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