Kolkata, May 25 (IANS) The Enforcement Directorate’s (ED) investigation into the alleged criminal-linked syndicate has revealed that arrested Kolkata Police officer Shantanu Sinha Biswas is yet to produce his two mobile phones before investigating officers, an insider at the central investigation agency said on Monday.
Former Trinamool Congress MLA Jiban Krishna Saha had thrown his mobile phones into a pond during an ED search at his Murshidabad residence to destroy evidence in an SSC recruitment corruption case.
Questions are now being raised about whether Shantanu Sinha Biswas also used the same method to destroy evidence.
According to ED sources, when Shantanu reached the ED office at CGO Complex on May 15, he did not have either of his two mobile phones.
As a result, no mobile phone was seized from him even after his arrest on that day.
According to ED sources, when detectives asked Shantanu where the mobile phones were, he said they had been lost. However, detectives are unwilling to believe the claim.
Detectives indicated that nowadays, an accused person’s mobile phone is a major tool in solving crimes, as much evidence is stored on mobile devices.
Businessman Joy Kamdar was arrested in the same syndicate case in which police officer Shantanu was arrested. A mobile phone was also recovered from him, and several important documents related to the investigation were found on that device, ED officials claimed.
Detectives have recovered several pieces of evidence related to communication between the arrested criminal, Sona Pappu, and Shantanu regarding the forcible occupation of land.
Evidence of that communication was found in Joy Kamdar’s WhatsApp chats.
Recently, the house of Kolkata Police Sub-Inspector Rahul Amin, who is close to Shantanu, was searched, and his phone was confiscated.
However, Shantanu’s mobile phones have been missing from the beginning.
Detectives believe that, even after the change of government in West Bengal on May 9, Shantanu had ample time to organise himself until May 15.
From professional experience, Shantanu knows that his two mobile phones are a mine of evidence.
Not only in this case, but also in many other important cases, his mobile phones could reveal much other information. Even if he deleted all the information from the phones, it could still be detected using modern forensic tools.
As there remains a possibility of recovering deleted information, the accusation of destroying evidence would become stronger against Shantanu.
Now, ED officials want to know whether Shantanu filed any complaint with the police after the two phones went missing. Shantanu claimed that he did not file any complaint.
The ED officials have already found out where Shantanu’s mobile phones were last active. Based on that information, detectives are trying to trace the devices.
–IANS
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