Kolkata: The Directorate of Enforcement (ED) launched a series of high-profile raids across Kolkata on Sunday morning, April 19, 2026, targeting the residence of Kolkata Police Deputy Commissioner Shantanu Sinha Biswas and businessman Joy Kamdar. The operation, conducted in the Behala area on the outskirts of the city, is linked to the ongoing investigation into the Sona Pappu syndicate case. This case involves a complex web of land-grabbing and housing scams allegedly involving influential political figures and prominent real estate dealers in South Kolkata.
Shantanu Sinha Biswas, a senior police official, previously served as the Officer-in-Charge of the Kalighat police station, which covers Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee’s Bhabanipur constituency. Simultaneously, ED officials searched the home of Joy Kamdar, the Managing Director of Ballygunge & Sun Enterprise. Officials confirmed that cash was recovered from Kamdar’s residence during the search. Kamdar had previously ignored two summons for questioning, and his name reportedly surfaced during earlier investigations at the home of the syndicate’s alleged kingpin, Sona Pappu.
These raids occur at a time of extreme political sensitivity, coming just days before West Bengal begins its two-phase assembly elections on April 23 and 29. The investigation has recently expanded to include several addresses across Kolkata, following earlier actions this month against former minister Partha Chatterjee and Trinamool Congress candidate Debashis Kumar. While the central agency maintains that the searches are part of a strictly legal process to uncover illegal construction and financial irregularities, the timing has intensified the political discourse ahead of the May 4 results.
