Teacher Recruitment Scam: The Enforcement Directorate (ED) began conducting raids at several locations in Kolkata and nearby areas on Friday morning as part of its investigation into the teacher recruitment scam in West Bengal, officials confirmed.
As per sources, a five-member team from the ED was conducting raids at the residence of a former para-teacher, who is purportedly a close associate of the arrested former state education minister Partha Chatterjee, in the Patharghata Mazar Sharif area of New Town, adjacent to Kolkata.
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Meanwhile, raids were also underway at the residence of an accountant located in the Nagerbazar area in the northern region of the city, officials stated. In the Rajarhat area, the ED conducted searches at the homes of some businessmen, teachers, and intermediaries who are allegedly linked to the scam.
Notably, the West Bengal School Service Commission (WBSSC) teacher recruitment scandal was uncovered following the arrest of Chatterjee, a prominent Trinamool Congress (TMC) leader. Chatterjee held the position of education minister in Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee’s cabinet until his arrest on July 23, 2022.
Chatterjee’s arrest ensued after authorities discovered INR 21 crore in cash and jewelry valued at over INR one crore at the Kolkata residence of Arpita Mukherjee, a trusted associate of the former education minister. Both Chatterjee and Mukherjee are under investigation in connection with the purported recruitment scam.
The ongoing raids are a crucial aspect of the ED’s investigation, focused on tracing the money flow within the multi-crore scam.
Earlier in October last year, the ED had summoned Trinamool Congress MP Abhishek Banerjee and his wife Rujira Banerjee in connection with the teachers’ recruitment scam.
