Kolkata: Officials of the Enforcement Directorate are trying to establish links of politically influential persons from West Bengal in the illegal land-grabbing-related money-laundering case involving Merlin Projects Limited, promoted by Sushil Mohta and Saket Mohta.
Already, Trinamool Congress legislator and the Member–Mayor-in-Council of Kolkata Municipal Corporation, Debasish Kumar, who is also the party candidate this time from his native Rashbehari Assembly Constituency in South Kolkata, has been questioned once by the Enforcement Directorate officials in the matter.
Sources aware of the development said that investigation officials suspect that, from the manner in which the land-grabbing-related money laundering scam was carried out, without the involvement of politically influential persons, it would not have been possible.
“Their role and financial transactions with the group and promoters are under scrutiny. Incriminating digital devices and documents have been seized from the premises where the Enforcement Directorate officials conducted marathon raids and search operations on Wednesday, and further investigation is ongoing,” said a source aware of the development.
It has been learned that the investigation into the matter so far has revealed that Sushil Mohta, Saket Mohta, and other related entities fabricated and forged documents and fraudulently acquired various parcels of land, including public land.
Subsequently, the accused persons commercially exploited the land by launching large-scale real estate projects.
By projecting themselves as lawful owners on the strength of forged documents, they induced the public to invest substantial sums in their projects.
On April 1, the Enforcement Directorate recovered more than Rs 1 crore in cash from the house of a company executive in the Behala area of the city.
Unlicensed weapons have also been recovered from the house of businessman Biswajit Poddar in the Kasba area of Kolkata.
Meanwhile, on Thursday, the owner of Sumati Industrial Finance Limited, Rajendra Kumar Gangwal, faced marathon questioning by the Enforcement Directorate officials at the agency’s Salt Lake Office in the northern outskirts of Kolkata in relation to the same case.
(IANS)
