Daughter Echoes Mother's Claims, Says Indranil Sen Controlled Firms Linked to Fake Durga Puja Pass Scam

Former West Bengal minister Indranil Sen is facing allegations that he exercised control over several business entities linked to the multi-crore fake UNESCO-tagged Durga Puja pass scam, even as his wife and daughter have claimed that their formal association with these entities did not extend to their actual operations.

Sen, who was arrested last month in connection with the case, was reportedly named by both family members during questioning by investigators.

His wife, Madhuchhanda Sen, who owns Mass Art — the entity allegedly used to sell the counterfeit passes — had earlier told investigators that the firm was registered in her name only on paper. She claimed that all administrative and operational decisions were taken by her husband and that her involvement was limited to signing documents at his direction.

Their daughter, Averi Sen, has now reportedly made similar claims. She was questioned for several hours by Kolkata Police investigators at the Lalbazar headquarters earlier this week.

According to a police source, investigators questioned Averi about substantial sums of money transferred to two corporate entities registered in her name — ISCAPE and Myra. She allegedly told them that the companies existed in her name only formally and that her role was restricted to signing documents as instructed by her father.

A police source said the statements of Sen's wife and daughter were consistent with investigators' suspicion that he allegedly controlled the corporate entities from behind the scenes, while keeping family members listed in formal positions.

The source further alleged that Sen used bank accounts held by family members or companies registered in their names for financial transactions rather than relying on his own accounts. Investigators are also examining whether the same arrangement was used in cases involving alleged tender irregularities in the state Tourism and Information and Cultural Affairs departments.

Meanwhile, Sen has reportedly begun shifting responsibility for the operations of Mass Art to Dhrubojytri Basu, a senior official of the firm who was arrested earlier this week, the police source added.

Sen is scheduled to be produced before a Kolkata court on November 10, while Basu is expected to appear before the same court on November 13.

The Kolkata Police's Special Investigation Team is probing the fake Durga Puja pass case. The Enforcement Directorate is also conducting a separate investigation.