New Delhi: The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Saturday, July 23, arrested and remanded West Bengal minister Partha Chatterjee in custody in connection with its investigation into the alleged teacher recruitment scam.
A court granted ED two days’ custody of the senior TMC leader.
The arrest comes a day after the probe agency recovered Rs 21 crore in cash from the property linked to Chatterjee’s close aide, Arpita Mukherjee. ED officials are still believed to be counting cash recovered from Mukherjee’s house. More than 20 mobile phones were also recovered from the premises of Mukherjee, according to NDTV.
Chatterjee, who was the state education minister when the alleged scam took place, was arrested after around 26 hours of grilling in connection with the probe.
The raids by the ED came a month after the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) registered cases in the alleged recruitment scam on the directions of the Calcutta high court.
“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,” ED officials said.
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,” a statement issued by ED read, according to Indian Express.
Chatterjee, who is currently the industry minister, was first taken to the ED’s office at CGO Complex in the Salt Lake area. He also serves as the secretary-general of the Trinamool Congress.
“He was not cooperating with our officers who were questioning him since Friday morning. He will be produced before a court during the day,” the ED official told PTI.
The TMC reacted sharply to what it called were “motivated” raids.
“If any of our leaders suffer physically or mentally because of these motivated raids, then we will not spare the agencies. In the past, we have lost leaders like Subrata Mukherjee, Tapas Paul and Sultan Ahmed after they were pressurised by agencies,” TMC minister Chandrima Bhattacharya told Hindu.
Besides Chatterjee, the ED also conducted raids on properties linked to the minister of state for education minister Paresh C Adhikary, MLA Manik Bhattacharya, former chairman of the West Bengal Board of Primary Education, Manik Bhattacharya, and members of an advisory committee of the West Bengal School Service Commission, including its chairman Santi Prasad Sinha, among others. Searches were carried out at 13 locations on Friday, the ED said.
(With PTI inputs)
Note: This article was updated since publication with news of ED having been granted custody of Chatterjee.