The Enforcement Directorate (ED) recovered Rs 1.5 crore in Kolkata’s Taratala area during a raid in connection with the municipal recruitment scam. The ED has been conducting searches in various parts of Kolkata since Tuesday in connection with the municipal recruitment corruption scam. More than Rs 1.5 crore in cash has been recovered so far from a private company in Taratala on Wednesday.
In addition to Taratala in South Kolkata, the ED is also conducting searches in Lake Town in North 24 Parganas since morning. It is learned that a team of Central Investigation Agency detectives started a search in a private company in Lake Town from this morning. According to ED sources, crores of rupees have been transacted in the bank account of a person named Vivek Jhunjhunwala on several occasions.
The municipal recruitment scam was unearthed following the arrest of one Ayan Sil, accused in the teachers’ recruitment scam. Investigation by the CBI and ED revealed Sil was also involved in the recruitment of around 5,000 candidates to permanent posts in nearly 60 municipalities across West Bengal. Sil was arrested in March 2023. The municipalities of South Dum Dum, Kamarhati, Panihati, North Dum Dum and Baranagar are under the central agency’s scanner along with several others in south and north Bengal.
Crores of rupees are involved in the municipal recruitment corruption case
Central investigation agency detectives claim that crores of rupees are involved in the municipal recruitment corruption case. The money from municipal recruitment corruption had reached several such companies. The investigators came to know this information after questioning Ayan Sil. Meanwhile, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has conducted several searches at various places.
On Wednesday morning, the investigators searched Vivek Jhunjhunwala’s office in Laketown and found a large cupboard. When the cupboard was opened, several gold ornaments and cash worth crores of rupees were found. As a result, money counting machines have been brought to Laketown as well as Taratala. As of last news, the CBI detectives are conducting an investigation into the public procurement corruption case in Taratala and Laketown. Money is being counted in money counting machines at both places.
Private companies chosen to convert crores of rupees into white money
In addition to cash, gold worth a few crores has been recovered from the private company in Lake Town and the investigators have found several luxury foreign cars. ED investigators estimate that there was a public procurement corruption in the state. These companies were chosen to convert crores of rupees of this corruption into white money. As a result, the ED has embarked on a marathon search to find out all the details of who benefited from this corruption money, which influential bank accounts this money reached, and in which sectors these crores of rupees were used.
Incidentally, the ED is already investigating several government officials, including a former minister of the state, in the municipal recruitment corruption case. Wednesday’s operation is considered to be a progress in that investigation. Investigators claim that the Enforcement Directorate is now mainly focused on uncovering the source of the huge amount recovered and the connection behind it.
The central investigation agency conducted simultaneous searches in various parts of Kolkata including Beleghata since early morning on Tuesday in the municipal recruitment corruption case. The search began in the morning at a house at 75 Hemchandra Naskar Road in Beleghata. 6 ED officials conducted the search under the security of the central forces. According to ED sources, the house belongs to two brothers Biswajit Chowdhury and Ranjit Chowdhury. Biswajit has been involved in the cloth business for a long time. On the other hand, Ranjit is involved in real estate and construction companies. However, the ED has not given any information about how these two brothers are connected with the municipal recruitment corruption.
Recently, a team from the Enforcement Directorate, which probes the money trail in corruption cases, raided the house of the state fire services minister Sujit Bose, a lounge bar owned by the minister’s son, and seven other locations.