Fourth arrest made by ED in Bengal ration distribution case

Kolkata, Feb 14 (IANS) The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Wednesday made a fourth arrest in the ration distribution case in West Bengal.

ED sleuths arrested a local businessman Biswajit Das from his residence at Salt Lake in the northern outskirts of Kolkata. Das, according to sources, is a close confidante of Trinamool Congress leader Shankar Adhya, who was the third person to be arrested by ED in this ration distribution case.

Earlier, the ED sleuths also arrested West Bengal Minister Jyotipriya Mallick and businessman Bakibur Rahaman in the case. All the three persons arrested are currently in judicial custody.

Sources said that a team of ED sleuths reached the residence of Das on Tuesday evening only. However, at that point of time he was not at his residence. Later on receiving the news of the arrival of the central agency sleuths he came back to his residence.

Thereafter, the ED sleuths started his marathon grilling and after continued interrogation throughout Tuesday night finally was arrested on Wednesday morning. It is learnt that Das will be presented at a special court of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) in Kolkata and the ED counsel will seek his custody.

Sources said that as per clues available with the ED sleuths, Das was a partner of Adhya in the process of diversion of the proceeds of the alleged ration distribution case first by converting them into foreign currencies and subsequently park them abroad, especially in Dubai and Bangladesh, through the hawala route.

In fact, sources added Das’s name surfaced during the course of interrogation of Adhya and his family members.