The Enforcement Directorate on Saturday seized over ₹40 lakh in cash from the residence of West Bengal Minister Chandranath Sinha in Birbhum district. The seizures were made after a 14-hour-long raid at the Minister’s residence in which several property-related documents and a mobile phone were seized.
The search started on Friday and continued till late on Saturday. According to the investigating agency, the Minister could not clarify why the cash was kept at his residence.
The raids were held in connection with the West Bengal school recruitment scam in which former West Bengal Education Minister Partha Chatterjee was arrested along with several district-level leaders and two MLAs of the ruling Trinamool Congress. More than ₹50 lakh in cash was seized from the residence of Arpita Mukherjee, an aide of the former Minister, in June 2023. The scam involves tampering with the recruitment process in State-run schools and giving jobs in return for financial considerations.
Sources in the agency said that a reference to Mr. Sinha was found from one of the accused Kuntal Ghosh who was arrested by the Enforcement Directorate in January 2023. Reacting to the raid, Mr. Sinha said that he was extending full cooperation to the agency.
In another development, the Income Tax officials held raids at the premises of Swaroop Biswas, the brother of State Minister Aroop Biswas.
