Kolkata Police Deputy Commissioner Santanu Sinha Biswas arrested in land-grabbing case

Biswas, a former officer-in-charge of Kalighat Police Station and reportedly considered close to former West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee, had earlier been summoned multiple times by the agency but had not appeared.

He appeared before the ED earlier in the day and was arrested after hours of questioning.

Multiple summons issued by ED

According to ED officials, despite repeated notices, Biswas continued to evade appearance, prompting the agency to escalate the matter.

Officials said his continued absence prompted further procedural steps in the investigation.

Lookout circular issued across airports and border points

On Wednesday, the ED wrote to the Directorate of Security seeking information regarding his whereabouts after he failed to respond to summons.

“He has arrived before our officials today,” an ED officer confirmed earlier in the day.

Officials said Biswas was earlier directed to appear before the agency on April 28, a day before the second phase of polling in West Bengal, but he did not comply.

Following his repeated absence, a lookout circular was issued to prevent him from leaving the country.

The circular was circulated across airports and Border Security Force (BSF) outposts as part of efforts to trace him.

Link to alleged land-grabbing and extortion case

Investigators said Biswas’ name surfaced during the ED’s probe into alleged land-grabbing and extortion linked to businessman “Sona Pappu” from the Golpark area of Kolkata.

Further inputs were also gathered after the arrest of Behala-based businessman Joy Kamdar in a related case involving financial irregularities.

The ED is continuing its investigation and is expected to question Biswas further in the coming days as part of the probe into the alleged network of financial irregularities.