ED raids Ex-RG Kar Principal Sandip Ghosh's residence over financial irregularities

Kolkata: In light of serious financial irregularities allegations against the former principal of RG Kar Medical College and Hospital, Sandip Ghosh, the Directorate of Enforcement (ED) carried out raids at his residence among other places in Kolkata.  

During the raid, the ED uncovered a huge two-story luxurious villa belonging to Sandip Ghosh and his wife in the South 24 Parganas district of West Bengal. The villa is like a frame house built three years ago on a two-bigha plot in Canning. 

The villa cum farmhouse is named after Sandip and his wife as the nameplate bears the name 'Sangeetasandip Villa'. As per the India Today report, it was frequently visited by Sandip and his family to spend some quality time as locals saw them entering the villa often. 

Apart from this, the ED also raided Ghosh's residence in Beliaghata, Kolkata after a nearly three-hour wait. They were able to enter the residence after Ghosh's wife unlocked the door of the building. Another dual apartment owned by his relatives in Milan Palli near Airport Gate number 2 was also raided by the ED. 

In the Milan Palli dual apartment owned and rented by Ghosh's sister-in-law and her husband, both doctors at government hospitals, the ED began their raid at around 11.30 am. During the raid, an officer from the team was seen carrying a black trolley bag out of one of the apartments. It came to light that Ghosh reportedly frequented the second rented apartment, HT reported. 

ED had registered a case under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) to probe money laundering charges against Sandip Ghosh in the financial irregularities case. Ghosh is presently in the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) custody.

Dr Ghosh was under investigation for alleged corruption and financial irregularities at the college and hospital, following a directive from a single bench of the Calcutta High Court, which ordered the CBI to probe the matter, news agency ANI reported.

He was sent to 8-day police custody on Tuesday.

On August 24, following the orders of the Calcutta High Court, an official FIR was registered by the CBI against Ghosh on the alleged corruption case. The Indian Medical Association (IMA) of Kolkata also suspended the membership of former Sandip Ghosh amid a CBI probe into the corruption case.

Earlier on August 26, the CBI also concluded a second round of polygraph tests on Dr Ghosh as part of their investigation into the rape-murder of a woman doctor at the institution.

The Calcutta High Court has granted the CBI three weeks to submit a progress report on the investigation, which is to be presented on September 17.

The trainee doctor was found dead in the seminar hall of RG Kar Medical College and Hospital in Kolkata on August 9.