The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has attached assets in excess of Rs 46 crores belonging to former West Bengal minister Partha Chatterjee and his aide Arpita Mukherjee in the alleged school recruitment scam.
The ED on Monday said it has attached assets worth Rs 46.22 crore "beneficially owned" by Chatterjee and Mukherjee.
The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) is investigating alleged irregularities in the recruitment of Group-C and -D staff and teachers in state-sponsored and aided schools in West Bengal. While CBI is probing criminal aspects, the ED is looking into the money laundering aspect of the cases.
It is alleged that candidates who scored lower marks ranked higher in merit lists, people were illegally appointed, question papers and answer keys were designed dubiously to deprive eligible candidates, and Chatterjee also ensured jobs in return for money. These alleged irregularities happened during 2014-21 when Chatterjee was the West Bengal's education minister.
The ED found over Rs 50 crore-worth of cash and jewellery at properties linked to Mukherjee in raids in Kolkata. She and Chatterjee were arrested in July.
It was reported on July 23 that Rs 21.20 crore, jewellery worth more than Rs 50 lakh, foreign currency worth Rs 54 lakh, and 22 mobiles were recovered from Mukherjee's property.
ANI on July 28 reported that ED in another raid at one of Mukherjee's properties found Rs 27.9 crores in cash and Rs 4.31 crore-worth of gold and jewellery.
"The attached properties are found to be beneficially owned by Partha Chatterjee and Arpita Mukherjee," it said.
Several of the attached properties were registered in the name of shell companies and persons acting as proxies for Chatterjee, according to ED.
(With PTI inputs)
