The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Saturday said that it has seized Rs 45 lakh cash, “incriminating documents” related to properties, and digital devices in connection with the searches at 13 places, including the camp office of West Bengal minister Sujit Bose, in connection with the alleged irregularities in recruitment in municipalities across the state.
In a statement released to the media, the central agency said the Friday’s searches were conducted on premises linked to the office of Fire and Emergency Services Minister Bose and that of his firms among others.
“During the course of searches, various incriminating documents, including property documents, digital devices and unexplained cash amounting to Rs 45 lakh have been seized,” the ED said.
The agency had also earlier raided the premises linked to Bose in January 2024.
The alleged irregularities in the hiring of clerks, peons, sweepers in various municipalities came to light during the probe into primary school teachers’ recruitment. During searches at various premises linked to real estate promoter Ayan Sil and others in 2023, the agency found documents, which revealed that the scam was not only limited to recruitment of teachers but also covered several other appointments by various municipalities, including Kanchrapra, New Barrackpore, Kamarhati, Titagarh, Baranagar, Halisahar, South Dum Dum (N), Dum Dum among others.
Investigations hinge on the allegations that Sil, a close associate of expelled Trinamool Congress youth wing leader Shantanu Banerjee, and his agents facilitated illegal recruitments in 16 municipalities.
According to the CBI chargesheet filed in the case, the agents took an average commission of Rs 50,000 from each beneficiary.
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The chargesheet named an agent, Shamik Chowdhury, saying a number of people secured municipal jobs through this network. The investigators have since arrested several individuals as the probe widened.
“The investigation so far revealed that the contracts were given to a single company M/s ABS Infozon Pvt Ltd of SIl for the printing of question papers, printing of OMR sheets, evaluation of marks obtained by the candidates and preparation of the merit list etc. Sil and other high functionaries, including public servants and political leaders, hatched a criminal conspiracy to facilitate the illegal appointments of several unmeritorious candidates in several municipalities in lieu of money,” the ED stated.
The ED has filed a Prosecution Complaint in the case against Sil.
On Friday, Bose had accused the central agency of “targeting him politically ahead of elections”.
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“They (the Central agencies) conduct these raids every time there’s an election knocking on the door. These visits are meant for leaders belonging to the Opposition parties. This is nothing new. They have raided my properties before and found nothing incriminating against me. This is a strategy to exert pressure before the polls,” Bose had said, referring to the ED’s January 2024 search at two houses and an office linked to the minister in the Lake Town area of Kolkata. The ED had then said that it seized documents and a mobile phone during the 14-hour-long search.
