NEW DELHI: The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has attached immovable properties worth approximately Rs 57.78 crore belonging to a sitting MLA and key middlemen in the West Bengal School Service Commission (SSC) Assistant Teacher recruitment scam, the agency official said on Wednesday.
The latest action brings the total value of attachments by ED in recruitment scam cases to a staggering Rs 698 crore, underscoring the massive scale of financial irregularities that led the Supreme Court to quash over 25,000 fraudulent appointments earlier this year.
The attached properties belong to Jiban Krishna Saha, MLA; Prasanna Kumar Roy and others.
The attached properties consist of multiple residential apartments, villas and land parcels located at Rajarhat, New Town, Patharghata, Garagari and other adjoining areas in North 24 Parganas district, as well as Murshidabad and Purba Bardhaman districts, including HIDCO-developed areas of Kolkata.
“These properties were found to have been acquired out of the Proceeds of Crime generated through illegal appointments of Assistant Teachers in Classes IX to XII,” the agency said.
The federal investigation agency initiated probe on the basis of the CBI FIRs which were registered on the directions of the High Court of Calcutta.
“The investigation pertains to large-scale manipulation in the recruitment process conducted by the West Bengal Central School Service Commission, wherein OMR sheets and personality test scores were tampered with, and appointments were made after expiry of panels to accommodate undeserving candidates in lieu of illegal gratification,” the agency official said.
The agency investigation revealed that Prasanna Kumar Roy acted as the main middleman in the scam and, along with his associates, collected huge amounts of cash from undeserving candidates for securing illegal appointments.
“The Proceeds of Crime, amounting to hundreds of crores of rupees, were laundered through a complicated network of companies, LLPs and bank accounts, and were ultimately utilised for acquisition of immovable properties,” the officials said.
During probe, the agency found that Jiban Krishna Saha, MLA, TMC, a key accused in the Assistant Teacher recruitment scam, was actively involved in the collection and handling of Proceeds of Crime collected from undeserving candidates for securing their appointments to the post of Group C, D and Assistant Teachers.
Jiban Krishna Saha was arrested on August 25, 2025 by ED following his attempt to run from the search premises at his home in Murshidabad.
“Investigation established that Proceeds of Crime so collected were utilised for acquisition of immovable properties in the name of Jiban Krishna Saha and his family members, primarily located in Murshidabad and Purba Bardhaman districts of West Bengal.
These properties, valued at approximately Rs. 3.01 Crore, were found to be acquired out of the laundered proceeds generated through the illegal recruitment process,” the agency said.
The official also said that investigation also revealed that a large number of properties were acquired in the name of. Nilima Mangal, a close associate and ex-wife of Prasanna Kumar Roy. Investigation established that substantial funds used for acquisition of these properties were sourced from illegal recruitment scams. Earlier, ED had arrested Prasanna Kumar Roy in this case and filed a Prosecution Complaint before the Special Court, which has taken cognizance of the offence of money laundering.