Fresh corruption complaint filed against ex-Kolkata DCP Shantanu Sinha Biswas

Kolkata, Sep 16 (IANS) A fresh complaint has been filed against former Kolkata Police Deputy Commissioner Shantanu Sinha Biswas under the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988, at Gariahat police station in south Kolkata, the police said on Wednesday.

According to the police, the complaint accuses Biswas of misusing his position for financial gain. It alleges that he directly and indirectly received financial benefits totalling Rs 2.80 crore, either in cash or in the form of gifts.

The complaint details several instances of alleged financial benefits received by the former police officer and his associates.

The police said that Biswas’ wife received Rs 74.36 lakh as salary from a company. The complaint also alleges that he anonymously purchased two flats worth Rs 82 lakh. It further claims that he used his influence to facilitate the withdrawal of Rs 20.27 lakh towards his son’s college fees.

In another allegation, Rs 61 lakh was received in the name of repairing a house in the Kandi area of Murshidabad district. The complaint also alleges that Biswas collected Rs 10 lakh on one occasion and Rs 15 lakh on another from several organisations in exchange for extending benefits to them.

The fresh charge in the complaint against Biswas is that he allegedly received Rs 13 lakh from arrested businessman Joy Kamdar, partly in cash and partly as gifts. It also claims that he took another Rs 2 lakh from Kamdar to purchase gifts for his wife.

Biswas has already been arrested by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in connection with a land-grabbing case. He is currently lodged at the Midnapore Central Correctional Facility in West Midnapore district.

The ED filed a charge sheet against Biswas in the case last July, alleging that he had embezzled Rs 3 crore. His name emerged during the investigation into a land-grabbing case against Sona Pappu, alias Biswajit Poddar.

A businessman, Joy Kamdar, was also named as an accused in that case. All three are currently in judicial custody.

According to ED sources, the three allegedly used illegal means to grab land and exerted influence to harass landowners. Complaints were filed against them at different police stations in connection with the alleged activities.

The ED has claimed that around Rs 50 crore was allegedly embezzled through land grabbing in different parts of Kolkata.

The latest complaint under the Prevention of Corruption Act adds another case against Biswas, who is already facing proceedings in the land-grabbing matter.

–IANS

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