Air hostess arrested for link with red sanders don

KOLKATA: A move to try and move Rs 10 crore through hawala last year had forced investigators to sit up, take notice and arrest this 27-year-old former model and air hostess. Now, almost nine months after she was arrested the first time, a joint team of the Bengal CID and Andhra Pradesh police have arrested Sangita Chatterjee – a resident of Garia - yet again for failing to attend court hearings at Chittoor in Tirupati.
Sangita, reportedly the girlfriend of notorious Red sander smuggler Markondan Laxman, has been taken to Chittoor for further questioning. The Andhra police team had been camping in the city for the past two weeks from March 11 to try and nab the accused.
“Investigators had recovered 2 kg of gold and half-a-kg of Platinum from an UCO Banks locker (issued in her name) and also seized the original deeds of four in Kolkata the first time when she was arrested. But even as the special investigation team of Chittoor police produced her at Alipore Court to get a transit warrant, she was granted interim bail and told to appear before the Chittoor court on May 18 last year.
“The Alipore court had at that time granted her bail only on the condition that she attended Tirupathy (Chittoor court) hearings regularly. However, the accused did not comply after which an arrest warrant was issued,” said Nishat Pervez, DIG (operations).
Her boyfriend - red sanders smuggler Markondan had been earlier arrested in the month of November in 2015 from Kolkata and is presently lodged at the Madanapalle Sub-jail at Tirupathy Chittoor (Andhra Pradesh). “He started smuggling since 2002 and earned more than 100 crore through this illegal trade,” said a senior investigating officer.
The Chittoor police revealed that not only did Sangeeta know about his smuggling activities, she was the chief co-ordinator who helped seal business deals across the Metro cities of Mumbai, Chennai, Bengaluru and Kolkata. “She was well connected that helped in the business,” said a source adding she was also instrumental in smuggling the loot.
Sources said Sangita almost immediately went in to hiding after Markodan’s arrest, but the police got on her trail after she moved nearly Rs 10 crore allegedly through the hawala route. She had also moved nearly Rs one crore to nine bank accounts belonging to her, claimed officials.
Sangita, whose childhood was spent at Netaji Nagar, went in to modelling after passing class 12 before taking up an aviation course that landed her a job with an airline. She came in contact with Markodan in Kolkata. “She helped him make contact with ‘agents’ in several cities across India who would join the network to smuggle the red sanders logs out of the country. She also knew where Lakshman’s godowns were located,’’ said a CID source. The couple were together alleged to have felled thousands of red sandalwood trees in the forests of Chittoor, Kurnool and Kadapa districts in AP.