kolkata

IIE DIGITAL DESK ; Kolkata, May 19: The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Monday night arrested Biswajit Poddar, popularly known as Sona Pappu, in connection with allegations of land grabbing using forged documents and illegal construction on those properties. After being issued notices four times over the past month without appearing, Sona Pappu finally showed up at the CGO Complex in Salt Lake around 11 am on Monday, accompanied by his wife. Following a marathon questioning session, the ED arrested him later that night.

On Tuesday, Sona Pappu was produced before the special ED court in Kolkata, where the central investigative agency sought a ten-day custody for further interrogation. According to the ED, Sona Pappu, along with a syndicate, forcefully seized lands and properties from innocent and vulnerable individuals. Victims who complained to the police were allegedly threatened with false cases.

Deputy Commissioner of Police Shantanu Sinha Biswas and businessman Joy Kamdar were also arrested in connection with the land grab case. The ED claims that the trio—Sona Pappu, Shantanu Sinha, and Joy Kamdar—had formed a large nexus involved in illegal property acquisition. Each land acquisition allegedly involved substantial monetary transactions. Following the seizures, Joy Kamdar carried out unauthorized construction on the properties. During a search of Sona Pappu’s residence, the ED reportedly recovered a foreign-made pistol and uncovered assets disproportionate to his declared income. His name had also surfaced months ago in a violent clash near Golpark, which involved gunfire and explosives.

Sona Pappu’s lawyer, strongly denied all the allegations, claiming that no official complaints had been filed against his client for forced land grabs. The lawyer further argued that the seizure of cash from his client’s home was unjustified, and no concrete evidence of illegal financial transactions had been presented by the investigators. The court proceedings concluded without a final order from the judge, leaving the matter pending.