KOLKATA: The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has begun the process of freezing at least five bank accounts of Arpita Mukherjee, the associate of arrested West Bengal minister Partha Chatterjee, where they have found at least Rs 2 crore, a senior official said on Saturday.
Other bank accounts, linked to several "shell companies" allegedly operated by Mukherjee, are also under the ED's scanner, he said.
"The process of freezing Mukherjee's five bank accounts has started. A total of around Rs 2 crore has been found in these accounts. We suspect these accounts were used to carry out several transactions and further probe is underway," the ED official said.
He said the agency was scanning the bank accounts linked to the "shell companies", refusing to divulge the amount of money parked there.
"We have sought the details of these accounts from the authorities concerned. After going through the accounts, we will decide our next course of action," he said.
The agency will continue grilling Mukherjee to know whether she has more bank accounts, the official said.
Chatterjee's bank accounts are also being checked, he said.
The investigators have also started a search for four high-end vehicles belonging to Mukherjee, which have been missing, he said.
"There were two cars, a Mercedes and a Mini Cooper, belonging to Mukherjee. These vehicles were used by the minister and his aide Mukherjee for joyrides. Inside these two vehicles, she used to have parties," he said.
Chatterjee used to follow her in another vehicle, and after a point, he used to get inside her vehicle for joyride, the official said.
All the vehicles were bought between 2016 to 2019, he claimed.
"One of the high-end cars was gifted by Chatterjee. He has also helped her in purchasing most of these high-end vehicles. We have spotted the Merc," the investigator said.
The investigators have also found that Chatterjee has allegedly booked two more vehicles, for which advance payments have already been made, he said.
"These two vehicles were booked for two shell companies and advance payments have been made. But before they were delivered, the duo was arrested," he alleged.
Urban Development Minister Firhad Hakim said the Kolkata Metropolitan Development Authority (KMDA) has been asked to look into the alleged illegal building, linked to Chatterjee, in the Kasba area.
"I have directed the KMDA to check the papers related to this building. In case there is anything wrong, we will take over the building. We have that power," Hakim said.
Chatterjee, who was the education minister of the state, was arrested by the ED in the cash for school jobs scam.
Crores of rupees in cash were found at apartments of his aide, Mukherjee, besides gold believed to be in kilograms, documents of properties and foreign exchange were recovered by the ED, forcing the TMC to suspend him and take away his ministerial portfolios.
Trinamool Congress spokesperson Kunal Ghosh Saturday said that those involved in the teachers' recruitment scam must be punished or it will create a precedent in future.
In an apparent reference to Bengal minister Partha Chatterjee, who was arrested by the ED in the teachers recruitment scam, he said those tasked with resolving the crisis have made a mess out of it.
"The school recruitment issue has become a mess because of a few people who were tasked with resolving the crisis. The guilty must be punished or the scam will become a precedent in the future," Ghosh said.
The Enforcement Directorate last week arrested Chatterjee, who was the education minister when the irregularities took place.
The central agency is probing the money trail in the scam and has recovered about Rs 50 crore in cash, besides gold and foreign currency from two flats owned by Chatterjee's associate Arpita Mukherjee.
Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee had relieved Chatterjee of his portfolios, including the important departments of commerce and industry on Thursday.
He was also suspended from Trinamool Congress and removed from all party posts.
Ghosh requested the agitating candidates of the Teacher Eligibility Test (TET) candidates to stop their protest demonstration outside TMC national general secretary Abhishek Banerjee's office.
"Our party (TMC) is sympathetic to their cause. But we request the TET candidates to withdraw their protest programme outside Abhishek Banerjee's office and submit in writing their demands instead," he said.
Protesting School Service Commission(SSC) job aspirants Friday said their meeting with Banerjee was "fruitful" and he has assured that justice will be delivered.
Following this a group of TET candidates squatted outside Banerjee's office on Saturday demanding a similar dialogue with their representatives.
The police forcibly evicted the protestors earlier in the day as the protestors refused to comply with its request to withdraw.