In a significant development, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) has attached assets worth over Rs 15 crore belonging to expelled TMC youth wing leaders Kuntal Ghosh, Santanu Banerjee, and another individual in connection with a money laundering investigation related to the alleged West Bengal school teachers’ recruitment scam. The attached properties include bank accounts, shares, mutual funds, residential flats, and land, as per the agency’s statement. These assets, provisionally attached under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act, are valued at Rs 15.03 crore.
The accused individuals, Ghosh, Banerjee, and Ayan Sil, are alleged to have acted as agents involved in the illegal collection of money from aspiring candidates seeking primary teacher positions. Sil, known to be an associate of Banerjee, was among the three arrested earlier by the ED.
Additionally, former TMC leader and West Bengal education minister Partha Chatterjee, along with his alleged associate Arpita Mukherjee, TMC MLA and former president of the West Bengal Board of Primary Education Manik Bhattacharya, and Sujay Krishna Bhadra, who is believed to have close ties with the TMC top brass, have also been arrested in connection with the case.
Following his arrest by the ED, Chatterjee was suspended by the TMC. Two more accused individuals, Souvik Bhattacharya and Satarupa Bhattacharya, have been sent to judicial custody by a special PMLA court in Kolkata after appearing before it in response to the agency’s chargesheet. To date, the ED has filed a total of four chargesheets in the case, with the cumulative seizure and attachment of assets reaching Rs 126.70 crore.
The ED’s action underscores its commitment to investigate alleged financial irregularities in the West Bengal school teachers’ recruitment process, and its efforts to hold accountable those involved in illegal activities. The attachment of assets sends a strong message that corruption and malpractices will not be tolerated, and serves as a deterrent to individuals engaged in similar fraudulent schemes. The investigation is ongoing, and further developments are anticipated as authorities continue to unravel the intricate layers of the case.
