Taratala crash: SIT raids middleman’s home, seizes key docus

Kolkata: The Special Investigation Team (SIT) on Tuesday conducted a raid at the residence of arrested middleman Abdul Hamid in connection with the under-construction warehouse collapse in Taratala that has so far claimed 16 lives.Soures said the investigators recovered crucial documents from the house.Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC) has also submitted the official building plan of the ill-fated warehouse to Lalbazar. The SIT, in turn, forwarded the plan to experts at Jadavpur University for evaluation.The investigation team has also issued written requisitions to both KMC and the Syama Prasad Mookerjee Port Trust, seeking land documents and the sanction files associated with the structure and whether any soil testing was done there.Police had arrested warehouse owner Shambhunath Behera and Kalicharan Banerjee, the former officer on special duty (OSD) to former Kolkata mayor Firhad Hakim in the case. Investigators stated that both individuals are withholding information during interrogation sessions. The SIT is examining papers seized from the office of Behera Brothers to check the involvement of other intermediaries in the procurement of the land lease.

The team is also checking the timeline and deadlines established for the completion of the project.Sources within the dept revealed that Banerjee refused to disclose the identity of the person who provided instructions to clear the warehouse business plan. The investigation continues as teams verify the paperwork and track the financial transactions between the suspects.