Kolkata, April 1 (IANS) The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Wednesday recovered over Rs 1 crore in cash and seized weapons during searches at multiple locations in Kolkata ahead of the Assembly elections, officials said.
Investigators recovered more than Rs 1 crore in cash from a residence in the Behala area, linked to a company executive. Weapons were also recovered during a separate search at the Kasba residence of businessman Biswajit Poddar, an official of the central agency said.
ED officials have been conducting searches at several locations linked to an individual known as Sona Pappu since Wednesday morning. According to officials, he is suspected to have links with syndicate operations in parts of south Kolkata, including Kasba and Ballygunge.
Sources said investigators received inputs that large sums of money were allegedly being collected from construction firms and routed through intermediaries, with suspected links to influential persons. Acting on these inputs, ED teams carried out coordinated searches at multiple premises, including Sona Pappu’s residence.
Apart from his residence, searches were also conducted at the office of a contractor in Ballygunge.
Officials said the cash — estimated at around Rs 1.20 crore — was recovered from the Behala residence of Joy Kamdar, who is associated with the firm.
Officials also confirmed the recovery of a weapon during the searches, though further details were not immediately available.
Sources claimed that Sona Pappu is known to be close to a Trinamool Congress leader from south Kolkata, who was recently questioned by the ED. However, there was no official confirmation of any direct link in the present case.
The searches come days after reports of a clash between two groups in the Golpark area, where the name of Sona Pappu had surfaced in local accounts. He has denied any involvement in that incident.
According to ED officials, multiple FIRs have been registered against him in the past, including cases related to extortion and criminal intimidation. Investigations are currently based on several of these FIRs.
Officials said ED teams reached the Fern Road residence early in the morning, accompanied by central forces personnel, and the searches continued through the day.
–IANS
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