ED raids across Bengal in extortion racket probe linked to ex-top cop
According to the ED, the extortion racket was allegedly run by Podder along with businessman Jay Kamdar, with investigators suspecting that former Kolkata DCP Santanu Sinha Biswas helped facilitate the network's operations.
The Enforcement Directorate (ED) conducted multiple simultaneous raids across West Bengal on Friday morning in connection with an alleged extortion racket involving wanted criminal Biswajit Podder, also known as “Sona Pappu,” and former Kolkata Police Deputy Commissioner Santanu Sinha Biswas. The coordinated raids began around 6 am, sources said.
Officials searched the residence of a businessman and a hotel on Roy Street in Kolkata, along with the house of another Kolkata Police sub-inspector. Another ED team reached Biswas’s residence in Murshidabad, which was found locked. They began their inquiry from outside the premises before breaking open the lock and entering the house to conduct the search.
According to the ED, the extortion racket was allegedly run by Podder along with businessman Jay Kamdar, with investigators suspecting that Biswas helped facilitate the network’s operations.
Biswas was arrested by the ED on May 14 after he allegedly failed to cooperate during questioning and withheld information, according to officials. He had appeared before the agency in Kolkata after skipping multiple summons.
Podder alias "Sona Pappu" was arrested on May 18 after a marathon interrogation, according to the ED. Podder, who is also wanted in connection with a violent incident in south Kolkata, had been absconding for nearly three months and appeared before investigators only after repeated summons.
The case is based on a Kolkata Police FIR against “Sona Pappu,” who faces several charges including extortion, rioting, attempted murder, criminal conspiracy, and violations under the Arms Act.
Investigators allege that Podder and his associates ran an organised crime network involved in extortion and other illegal activities, generating substantial proceeds of crime. Officials suspect the funds were routed through multiple channels, with a portion allegedly reaching individuals linked to the case.
The ED had earlier conducted raids at Biswas’s Ballygunge residence and his Fern Road flat on April 19, as well as at properties linked to Jay Kamdar in Behala. Officials said several important documents were recovered during those searches.
During a separate raid on April 1, the agency seized Rs 1.47 crore in cash, gold and silver worth over Rs 67 lakh, and a country-made revolver.
This is not the first time Biswas has come under the central agency’s scanner. He was previously summoned by the ED’s Delhi office in connection with an illegal coal mining case but did not appear.
The senior Kolkata Police officer is also under scrutiny in multiple ongoing probes, including alleged irregularities in admissions under the NRI quota in private medical institutions like KPC Medical College.