ED lookout notice to police officer Shantanu Sinha Biswas for skipping summon

The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has issued a lookout notice against Kolkata Police officer Shantanu Sinha Biswas after he failed to appear before the Central agency despite multiple summons in connection with two ongoing investigations.

According to ED sources, the decision was taken amid apprehensions that the officer might attempt to leave the country to evade questioning. The lookout circular was issued after repeated non-compliance with summons served to him over the past few weeks.

Advertisement

On 28 April, a day ahead of the second phase of polling in West Bengal, the ED had summoned Biswas, currently serving as a Deputy Commissioner in the Kolkata Police, to its office at the CGO Complex in Salt Lake. The summon was reportedly linked to a case involving Biswajit Poddar, a resident of Ballygunge in south Kolkata, who is facing multiple allegations including land grabbing, extortion, and violations under the Arms Act. The Central agency has already arrested Behala-based businessman Joy Kamdar in connection with the same case.

Investigators suspect financial irregularities and possible links between Kamdar and Poddar, prompting a wider probe into alleged proceeds of crime. Last month, ED officials conducted a daylong search operation at Biswas’s residence on Fern Road in Kolkata. The operation, which began early in the morning, continued till around 2 a.m, the following day. Notably, Biswas was not seen in public during the search. Following the raid, the ED had issued fresh summons to Biswas, along with his two sons, Sayantan Biswas and Manish Biswas, asking them to appear at the CGO Complex.

However, none of them turned up before the agency. Separately, Biswas, who previously served as the officer-in-charge of Kalighat police station, was also summoned in April in connection with a sand smuggling case under investigation by the ED. In that instance too, he did not appear in person, and his lawyer reportedly sought time on his behalf, citing prior engagements. The ED is probing allegations of financial misappropriation linked to illegal sand mining operations as well as suspected criminal networks involving extortion and land-related offences.

Officials indicated that Biswas’s role in these matters is under scrutiny, and his questioning is considered crucial for the progress of the investigations. With the issuance of the look-out notice, authorities are now expected to closely monitor any attempt by the officer to travel beyond the country, even as efforts continue to secure his appearance before investigators.