Arrests follow cops’ ‘syndicate’ circular

Kolkata: Barely 48 hours after chief minister Suvendu Adhikari asked cops to end all forms of syndicate in the state, both Kolkata and Bengal Police have carried out a number of arrests and recoveries in this regard.Police arrested former Baranagar strongman and Trinamool Congress councillor Shantanu Majumdar, alias Mejo, on Wednesday, on charges of extortion. Police said Majumdar, councillor of ward no. 14 of Baranagar Municipality, was arrested from a hideout at Bonhooghly and taken into custody on Wednesday following multiple complaints lodged against him by locals, promoters and traders. Police sources said Majumdar was accused of intimidating businessmen and allegedly forcing them to pay money in connection with real estate transactions and commercial activities in the area.Investigators also alleged that he used his political influence to interfere in disputes related to tenancy and property matters. According to police sources, one of the complaints was filed by Baranagar resident Rita Roy on Tuesday. In her complaint, Roy alleged that the councillor extorted money from her on several occasions between 2024 and 2026 in the name of resolving disputes involving tenants in her flat. She claimed that Majumdar collected nearly Rs 70,000 from her in multiple instalments and also attempted to forcibly place tenants in the property.After arrest he was produced before a Barrackpore court. "He was accused of extorting money from businessmen several times and setting up kangaroo courts to settle disputes over monetary transactions. He was arrested on the basis of several complaints and produced before the Barrackpore court," Dyutiman Bhattacharya, deputy commissioner of police, South Zone, Barrackpore Commissionerate, told TOI.Lalbazar top cops, led by commissioner of police Ajay Nand, have also held a meeting with senior officers — including ACPs and OCs — and laid out a seven-point SOP for police stations to follow to keep a check on syndicates. Reports of similar arrests have also come from other districts.In Kolkata, on the same day that KP arrested Trinamool Congress functionary Narayan Ranjit and his associate Gopal Mallik from Jajpur, Odisha, a fresh case of extortion was lodged against the accused. The FIR alleges the accused, acting with common intention, extorted Rs 1.5 lakh from Manas Das and Sanjay Mondal through death threats over the past month at Anandapur. They also used unparliamentary language to insult local women's modesty and issued dire warnings.A DD team has also left for Hyderabad, in search of Kasba strongman Sona Pappu. Pappu has been on the wanted list for the past several months after a syndicate clash at Golpark weeks before the elections. Though he came Live on Facebook multiple times, he has managed to remain elusive. The ED too has put Pappu under the radar and arrests linked to his case have already been made.