Sandeshkhali saga: ED issues fresh summons to Sheikh Shahjahan’s relatives, aide

Kolkata, July 15 (IANS) The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has issued summons to three persons linked to suspended Trinamool Congress leader Sheikh Shahjahan in connection with illegal land grabbing at Sandeshkhali in West Bengal’s North 24 Paragans district, asking them to appear before its office in Salt Lake near here by Friday. The three persons include Shahjahan’s younger brother Sheikh Sirajuddin, his son-in-law Rana Babu Lashkar, and driver-cum-assistant Maruf Mir.Sources said this is the fourth time that Sirajuddin has been sent summons for interrogation after he skipped the previous three notices. The sources also said that the ED will take appropriate legal action against the trio if they skip the summons this time.Shahjahan and his other brother Sheikh Alamgir are already in judicial custody under various charges. They were initially arrested by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) before the ED took them into custody.The ED has tracked two corporate firms linked to the multi-crore fish export business of Shahjahan, known to be a strongman in the Sandeshkhali area. One of the two entities was registered in the name of Shahjahan’s daughter Sheikh Sabina, while the other was registered in the name of Sirajuddin, known in the area as a self-proclaimed homeopathy doctor.According to the ED, only a small portion of the export business proceeds was shown in the books of accounts, while a major part reached Shahjahan and his associates through the hawala route via Bangladesh.–IANSsrc/arm