Kolkata, Oct 28: Former West Bengal Tourism Minister and former Minister of State for Information and Cultural Affairs Indranil Sen was arrested by Kolkata Police on Wednesday evening in connection with an alleged fake Durga Puja pass scam linked to UNESCO-tagged festival tours, IANS reported. Earlier in the day, the singer-turned-politician had appeared before the Enforcement Directorate (ED), which is conducting a parallel probe into the matter, at the agency's Salt Lake office.

Source: IANS via The Rahnuma Daily

After the ED interrogation concluded, Kolkata Police personnel, along with officers from Bidhannagar City Police who had remained stationed outside the premises, took Sen into custody and transported him to the Kolkata Police headquarters at Lalbazar, the reports said. ANI reported that the Detective Department of Kolkata Police detained Sen in connection with the alleged MassArt financial irregularities case, citing police sources. A police source told IANS the former minister had allegedly not been cooperating with the investigation, leading to his arrest.

According to investigators, Sen and his wife Madhuchanda Sen are accused of irregularities in the sale of fake passes for Durga Puja tours. The transactions under scrutiny were initially estimated to involve around Rs 60 crore. A complaint in the case was first registered at Bowbazar Police Station, following which both Kolkata Police and the ED launched separate investigations. These are allegations under investigation and have not been proved.

On September 29, the ED conducted search and seizure operations at 15 premises in Kolkata in connection with alleged financial irregularities by the Mahanirban Road Mass Art (MassArt) Society in organising its Durga Puja 'Preview Shows', officials said. The searches, carried out by the ED's Kolkata zonal office under Section 17 of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), 2002, covered various individuals and entities, including Sen and his close associates.

Source: ANI via Indian Economic Observer

Earlier this month, the Calcutta High Court rejected Sen's anticipatory bail plea on October 15 before Justice Tirthankar Ghosh, after which he approached the Supreme Court with a fresh petition, the reports said. Reacting to the police action, West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari said the ED and Kolkata Police were acting within their jurisdiction and asserted that there must be evidence behind the action. The case is expected to proceed as both the ED money-laundering probe and the police investigation continue.