KOLKATA: Conman Debanjan Deb, who had claimed to be a joint commissioner of KMC and held fake vaccination camps in the city, used the KMC employee ID number of a former civic market department sub-inspector. Deb used to flaunt the fake KMC ID card with the number 25757 to masquerade as a functionary of the civic body.
Following the queries sent to the KMC top brass by the special investigating team (SIT) on the ID card and other crucial documents that were found in Deb’s possession, a TOI investigation revealed that the ID number in question had been allotted to Subhas Pal who was posted as a sub-inspector at the KMC-owned Sisir Market in Sealdah and had retired on October 31, 2020. On his last day in office, he had surrendered the ID card as per rule.
Pal, a resident of Naihati, was shocked to have learnt that the conman — who had hit the headlines after a fake vaccination camp was busted at Kasba last month — had been using his ID card number. He wondered whether Deb had any inside knowledge that the ID card with that number was not in use or he had randomly picked up the number that coincidentally turned out to be the former KMC employee’s ID card number. “This is preposterous,” said Pal, who has been suffering from heart-related ailments.
The SIT had on July 13 written to the civic authorities, seeking information about the documents bearing KMC seals or insignia that had been confiscated from his office in Kasba.
The KMC secretary, Harihar Prasad Mandal, said the civic body had received the queries sent by the SIT and they would send the answers soon. “We have already asked a senior official to prepare answers to the queries based on the documents that we possess in this regard. We will soon send a reply,” said a senior official in the KMC administration.
The SIT officers have also asked the civic body whether 120 unused holograms of the KMC emblem — ‘Purosree Bibardhan’ — had been ever handed over to the accused or any other person than a KMC employees. Another query was whether KMC had issued any work order on December 14, 2020 to Leaser Holograms Pvt Ltd located at 9, Indian Exchange Place for the procurement of holograms. According to a KMC official, this is the address where the conman had placed orders for bulk procurement of holograms exhibiting KMC purchase order.
The SIT officers have also asked whether the civic body has an office in the name of KMC Sports Federation at 170, Shanti Palli, Kasba. This is the address where Deb used to operate an office with the KMC logo and board with the signage KMC Urban Planning and Development and heritage departments.
