Kolkata (West Bengal): Trinamool Congress (TMC) youth wing leader Santanu Banerjee was arrested by Enforcement Directorate (ED) in connection with the teachers’ recruitment scam and was produced before the Special Court (PMLA) in Kolkata, which remanded him to the ED custody till March 24.
“Santanu Banerjee was acting as a conduit to facilitate the illegal qualification and appointments of primary teachers, Group ‘C’ & ‘D’ staff of schools of the government of West Bengal in lieu of money. Banerjee was in cahoots with (another TMC youthwing leader) Kuntal Ghosh, who is presently in judicial custody for the said illegal activities,” the ED said in a statement. The ED, in an official release, said Santanu Banerjee also purchased a number of properties in the name of his family members and companies/firms with the said proceeds of crime.
ED had earlier arrested Partha Chatterjee, TMC MLA and former Education minister, his aide Arpita Mukherjee, minister and TMC MLA Manik Bhattacharya, and Kuntal Ghosh in the teachers’ recruitment scam case.
All the accused are currently in judicial custody.
ED has already seized cash amounting to a total of Rs. 49.80 crore and gold and jewellery valued at more than Rs. 5.08 crore, as well as provisionally attached properties worth Rs. 48.22 crore, in connection with the case. The total seizure and attachment stand at Rs 111 crore so far.
Further Investigation by the central agency is underway.
