Bengal teacher recruitment scam: Arpita Mukherjee, the close aide of West Bengal Industry Minister Partha Chatterjee, who was arrested by Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Saturday in connection with the teacher recruitment scam, made a sensational claim about the Rs 21 crore in cash that was seized from her property.
The TMC secretary general, who was the state education minister when the scam took place, was arrested after around 26 hours of grilling in connection with the probe.
Arpita Mukherjee during the interrogation said that the money recovered from her property used to be used as 'bribe' which 'flowed from bottom to top.'
Chatterjee, who was the state education minister from 2014 to 2021, was grilled by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) in April and May this year in connection with the scam.
Investigation so far
The probe agency launched coordinated searches at the premises of Chatterjee, the state industries and commerce minister, his aide Arpita Mukherjee, Minister of State for Education Paresh C Adhikary, MLA and ex-president of West Bengal Board of Primary Education Manik Bhattacharya and a number of other persons.
"During the searches, the ED recovered cash amounting to approximately Rs 20 crore from the residential premises of Arpita Mukherjee, who is a close associate of Partha Chatterjee.
"The said amount is suspected to be proceeds of crime of the said SSC (School Service Commission) scam," the federal agency alleged in a statement.
It said the search team is taking the assistance of bank officials to count the seized cash using machines. "More than 20 mobile phones have also been seized from the premises of Arpita Mukherjee, the purpose and use of which is being ascertained," the ED said.
