During the search operations, the ED found roughly Rs 20 crore in cash from the residence of Arpita Mukherjee, a close friend of Partha Chatterjee....
Digital Desk: The Enforcement Directorate (ED) conducted raid at several locations associated with the West Bengal School Service Commission (WB-SSC) and West Bengal Primary Education Board recruitment scam. TMC's Partha Chatterjee, a serving minister in Bengal's Mamata Banerjee government, was among those searched. Reportedly, the alleged scam took place while Chatterjee was the education minister.
Senior ED officials and central forces arrived at Partha Chatterjee's residence.
The ED also raided Minister of State for Education Paresh C Adhikary, TMC MLA Manik Bhattacharya, Partha Chatterjee's close aide Arpita Mukherjee, 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 Commission; and Alok Kumar Sarkar, Deputy Director, School Education Department.
During the search operations, the ED found roughly Rs 20 crore in cash from the residence of Arpita Mukherjee, a close friend of Partha Chatterjee. The cash is thought to be the proceeds of the SSC Scam, the central agency said in a statement.
The search team is taking the help of bank employees to count the cash through cash counting machines. More than 20 mobile phones were also confiscated from Arpita Mukherjee's home, the purpose and use of which are being investigated, as per the agency.
The ED also found some incriminating documents, records, information of dubious companies, electronic devices, foreign currency, and gold from the various premises of the persons connected with the scam.
The move comes months after the Calcutta High Court ordered the CBI to investigate the recruitment scam of Group "C" and "D" staff, Assistant Teachers of classes IX-XII, and primary teachers.
The ED is looking into the case involving the illegal appointment of non-teaching staff, teaching staff, and teachers in primary school under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act, 2002 (PMLA).
