Sudipta Sen killed the real owner of Saradha, reports daily

Kolkata, April 24: Sudipta Sen, the chairman-cum-managing director (CMD) of

company Saradha Group had taken its charge after murdering the actual owner. The widow of the slain owner, Bishwanath Adhikary, had reportedly brought such allegations in the court. The revelation was made by Bengali daily

, owned by Trinamool Congress (TMC) Rajya Sabha MP Srinjoy Bose, on Wednesday. At least two Rajya Sabha MPs of the ruling party have been accused of blackmailing Sen for monetary gains.

According to the report, Sen had used his money power and political contacts to divert the direction of the probe and instead levelled counter-charges against Biswanath's widow, Chandra, and other people close to him and they were allegedly given death threats. Such complaints were filed with the police but Sen could not be caught owing to his money power and connections with the power centres.

Throwing light back on Sen's past, the newspaper report said the man had joined a firm of Dalmiya Seth in 1993. He used to buy land for the firm at Bhasa area in Bishnupur in South 24-Parganas but soon indulged in corrupt practices of appropriating others' commissions. He even threatened the middlemen and drove them away when they came to take their share of money.

The Seths, getting tired of Sen's activities, pulled themselves out and the latter was given shelter by Biswanath in his Saradha Realty. He found Sen a trusted friend and even gave him 25 per cent share of the company. A conspiracy started thereafter, according to the report, and Biswanath was shot dead inside Saradha Garden on January 29, 1999. It is said that the body was sent for post-mortem and cremated with great alacrity by Sen and his friends.

According to Chandra, Sen and other share-holders were looking to appropriate the property instantly and had even done the legal paperwork but some of Biswanath's kin and friends opposed the attempt. Sen then took the help of the local politicians to

divert the murder case probe and some other persons were chargesheeted by the CID, the report said. Chandra had later informed the court that those chargesheeted were not the actual killers of her husband. But yet, Sen evaded law and took charge of the entire Saradha company. Later, he started the chit fund business with the help of crores that he had appropriated through selling plot in the Sradha Garden, the report said.

The news of Sen's arrest brought a welcome relief to the people of Bhasa, where his journey to the dark pinnacle had started two decades ago.