Kolkata: ED on Monday claimed that arrested realtor Jay S Kamdar was “in close contact” with several police officers — including Santanu Sinha Biswas, a serving DCP in Kolkata Police’s Special Branch — and had been providing them and their family members “favours and expensive gifts”.A Kolkata PMLA court remanded Kamdar to nine days of ED custody for questioning over his alleged links with Biswajit Podder, alias Sona Pappu. The agency alleged Kamdar “wielded considerable clout among a section of police officers and misused it to get favours and lodge complaints against unsuspecting individuals in land-related matters.” Kamdar is alleged to have been involved in illegal international cross-border and domestic hawala transactions through shell companies which are under investigation.ED said documents and digital evidence showed Kamdar and associates had been “systematically and premeditatedly” acquiring immovable properties from lawful owners through unlawful means. Searches on April 1 led to the seizure of Rs 1.47 crore in cash, and gold and silver jewellery worth Rs 67.64 lakh, an SUV and an unlicensed revolver. Several land parcels and buildings were also identified as allegedly acquired through criminal activity.The agency said proceeds of crime were generated through extortion, property grabbing and unauthorised construction through entities controlled by Podder and his associates.
