ED raids Ex-Bengal minister Indranil Sen’s home in UNESCO pass sale probe

The ED conducted raids at former West Bengal Tourism Minister Indranil Sen's residence and multiple locations in Kolkata in connection with an alleged money laundering case linked to the sale of fake Durga Puja preview passes using UNESCO's name and logo.

Kolkata: The Enforcement Directorate (ED) was conducting raid and search operations at the residence of the former West Bengal Tourism Minister, Indranil Sen, a singer-turned-politician, on Tuesday in connection with the charges against him and his wife, Madhuchhanda Sen, of illegally selling pre-Durga Puja tickets by misusing the name of the UNESCO.

A team of ED officials reached Sen’s residence in Kasba, South Kolkata, early in the morning.

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It is learnt that different teams of ED officials were conducting simultaneous search operations at 10 places in the city, including the residence of the former minister at Kasba.

Other places where the Central agency operations were being conducted include Hindustan Park and Highland Park, among others. These include the houses of the former minister’s relatives. The address where the ED has started searching in Highland Park is the house of a businessman associated with event management.

There have been allegations that ‘fake passes’ were sold in the name of Durga Puja tours, using the UNESCO tag. It is initially estimated that around Rs 60 crore was involved, said sources.

A complaint was filed at the Bowbazar police station in June this year against Indranil, his wife Madhuchhanda Sen and an organisation called ‘Mass Art’. Madhuchhanda herself is also involved in this organisation. These ‘fake passes’ were also being sold using the name of ‘UNESCO’ to gain credibility.

The complaint was lodged by Joydeep Mukherjee on behalf of the international organisation.

As per the complaint, the said entity, ‘Mass Art’, was floated within six months of the Kolkata Durga Puja being recognised by UNESCO in 2021. They claim to be UNESCO’s ‘official partner’ in promoting Kolkata’s Durga Puja. But this claim was alleged to be false. Apart from that, it was alleged that UNESCO’s name, logo, etc., had been used without permission to sell tickets for Puja tours.

It is further learnt that passes for about 24 Durga Puja ‘preview shows’ in Kolkata were sold at high prices. In some cases, the price of these passes ranged from Rs 1,749 to Rs 5,499.

The said entity claimed that UNESCO had selected those 24 puja mandap. But so far, no truth has been found in this claim, according to sources aware of the development. It is alleged that money has been embezzled in the name of ‘preview show’ passes.

Initial investigation revealed that about 19,000 people registered to receive these passes in 2022; 34,000 registered in 2023; and 61,000 in 2024.

Although the investigation into the matter was initiated by the Kolkata Police, the ED later began its probe into the money laundering angle in the case.