West Bengal minister Partha Chatterjee arrested by ED in teacher recruitment scam

The agency reportedly seized around Rs 20 crore in cash from multiple raids

ITDC INDIA EPRESS/ITDC NEWS R West Bengal Minister Partha Chatterjee was arrested by the Enforcement Directorate in a case related to the teacher recruitment scam in West Bengal, multiple reports claimed. The Enforcement Directorate (ED) had carried out simultaneous raids at the houses of around a dozen people, including two ministers, and reportedly seized around Rs 20 crore in cash.

Reports claimed the money was seized from the residence of a close associate of senior minister Partha Chatterjee who was questioned by the sleuths for over 11 hours.

The ED also carried out raids in the houses of former advisor of the West Bengal School Service Commission (SSC) Shanti Prasad Sinha, ex-president of the West Bengal Board of Secondary Education Kalyanmoy Ganguly and nine others.

The CBI, as directed by the Calcutta High Court, is looking into the alleged irregularities committed in the recruitment of Group-C and D staff as well as teachers in government-sponsored and aided schools on recommendations of the West Bengal School Service Commission. The ED is tracking the money trail in the scam.

"ED is carrying out search operations at various premises linked to recruitment scam in the West Bengal School Service Commission and West Bengal Primary Education Board," the agency said on its official Twitter handle.

The agency shared four photographs of piles of cash in the denomination of Rs 2,000 and Rs 500 besides a number of sealed packets inside a room, without disclosing the quantity or the owner of the place.