Intensifying its ongoing probe into the West Bengal School Service Commission (WB-SSC) and West Bengal Primary Education Board teacher recruitment scam, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Friday carried out search operations at various locations in connection with the case and seized Rs 20 crore during the operation. Today, The Enforcement Directorate (ED) again continued the raids on the residential premises of Arpita Mukherjee, a “close associate” of West Bengal Minister Partha Chatterjee, in connection with an alleged teacher recruitment scam in the state.
More than 20 mobile phones have also been recovered from the premises of Arpita Mukherjee, the purpose and use of which are being ascertained, it said. Apart from Chatterjee, it raided Minister of State for Education Paresh C Adhikary, MLA Manik Bhattacharya and others.During the course of searches, the ED has recovered huge cash amounting to approximately Rs 20 crore from the residential premises of Arpita Mukherjee, who is a close associate of Shri Partha Chatterjee. The said amount is suspected to be the proceeds of crime of the SSC scam. The search team is taking the assistance of bank officials for the counting of cash through cash counting machines. A total of more than 20 mobile phones have also been recovered from the premises of Ms. Arpita Mukherjee, the purpose and use of which is being ascertained,” read a statement issued by the ED.
Partha Chatterjee, who is presently the Minister for Industries and Commerce, was the education minister when the alleged illegal appointments were made in government-run and aided schools by West Bengal School Service Commission (WBSSC). Chatterjee held the education portfolio when the alleged scam was reportedly pulled off. He was interrogated by the CBI twice, once on April 26 and then on May 18. Adhikari, the minister of state for education, had also been grilled by the CBI with his daughter losing her job as a school teacher.
