New Delhi: The Enforcement Directorate (ED) seized Rs 20 crore of cash from the residential premises of Arpita Mukherjee in West Bengal. She is said to be a close associate of Cabinet Minister Partha Chatterjee.

The search operations were carried out at various premises linked to recruitment scam in the West Bengal School Service Commission and West Bengal Primary Education Board.

The persons being searched include Shri Partha Chatterjee, the current Minister of Commerce & Industry, Parliamentary Affairs, Electronics & IT, Government of West Bengal and the Ex-Minister-in-charge of Education; Shri Paresh C. Adhikary, Minister of State for Education, Government of West Bengal; Shri Manik Bhattacharya, MLA, and Ex-President of the West Bengal Board of Primary Education; Ms. Arpita Mukherjee, a close associate of Shri Partha Chatterjee;ShriPK Bandopadhyay, OSD to the then MIC of Education, Shri SukantaAcharjee, PS to the then MIC of Education; Chandan Mondal @ Ranjan, Agent in selling jobs of teachers; Kalyanmay Bhattacharya, son-in-law of Partha Bhattacharya; Krishna C. Adhikary, Relative of Kalyanmay Bhattacharya; Dr. S. P. Sinha, Advisor of the West Bengal Central School Service Commission – Convenor of the 5-member committee; ShriKalyanmoyGanguly, Ex- President of the West Bengal Board of Secondary Education; Shri Saumitra Sarkar, Ex-President of the West Bengal Central School Service Commission; and Shri Alok Kumar Sarkar, Deputy Director, School Education Department.

During the course of searches, the ED has recovered huge cash amounting to approximatelyRs. 20 crores from the residential premises of Arpita Mukherjee, who is close associate of Shri Partha Chatterjee. The said amount is suspected to be proceeds of crime of said SSC Scam.

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.

Further, a number of other incriminating documents, records, details of dubious companies, electronic devices, foreign currency and gold has also been recovered from the various premises of the persons linked to the scam.

It is noteworthy to note that the Hon’ble High Court of Calcutta in a slew of writ petitions had recently directed the CBI to carry out investigations into the recruitment scam of Group ‘C’ & ‘D’ staff, Assistant Teachers of classes IX-XII and primary teachers.

In these cases, involving the illegal appointment of non-teaching staff (Group C & D), teaching staff [Assistant teachers (Class IX-XII) and teachers in Primary school, ED is investigating cases under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act, 2002 (PMLA). Further investigation is in progress.