On 22nd July 2022, the Enforcement Directorate recovered cash of more than 20 crore rupees and 20 mobile phones from a close aide of Trinamool Congress Party’s leader Partha Chatterjee. The Enforcement Directorate (ED) is conducting searches at several locations in connection with a recruitment fraud involving the West Bengal School Service Commission (WB-SSC) and the West Bengal Primary Education Board.
When ED raided the house of Arpita Mukherjee, a close associate of Partha Chatterjee, a huge cash of approximately 20 crore rupees was recovered. The money is allegedly the profits of the SSC Scam, according to a statement from the central agency.
For counting cash using machines, the search team is getting support from bank representatives. The purpose and usage of a total of more than 20 mobile phones that were found on Arpita Mukherjee’s property are now being determined. From the numerous locations of the people connected to the fraud, the ED has also recovered some suspicious documents, records, information on dubious enterprises, electronic gadgets, foreign currency, and gold.
The action was taken months after the Calcutta High Court ordered the CBI to look into the recruiting scandal involving Group “C” and “D” employees, Assistant Teachers of classes 9th to 12th, and primary teachers. The ED is probing matters involving the unlawful recruitment of non-teaching personnel, teaching staff, and primary school teachers under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act, 2002.
Partha Chatterjee, a Minister in the Mamata Banerjee government in Bengal, is among those being probed. On Friday, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) conducted a raid on the properties of West Bengal Minister Partha Chatterjee as part of an investigation in this case. The raids are being conducted at 13 locations belonging to the Minister for his involvement in the SSC scam. According to the reports, when the alleged unlawful recruitments had occurred, the Trinamool Congress (TMC) leader who is the Industry Minister at present was the Education Minister.
In addition to him, the ED also raided Minister of State for Education Paresh C Adhikary and TMC MLA Manik Bhattacharya. Besides, the agency included many others in the scope of investigation. The names include Arpita Mukherjee, Partha Chatterjee’s close aide; Chandan Mondal, an agent in selling teacher jobs; Kalyanmay Bhattacharya, Partha Bhattacharya’s son-in-law; Dr. SP Sinha, advisor of the West Bengal Central School Service Commission; Kalyanmoy Ganguly, ex-President of the West Bengal Board of Secondary Education; Saumitra Sarkar, ex-President of the West Bengal Central School Service.