KOLKATA: Enforcement Directorate (ED) officers have seized several property-related documents, one mobile phone and over Rs 40 lakh in cash during their 14-hour-long raid at West Bengal minister Chandranath Sinha's residence in Birbhum district, an official said on Saturday.
The ED sleuths had on Friday conducted the search operation at the Bolpur residence of Sinha in connection with the agency's investigation into the alleged school recruitment scam.
The state minister could not clarify why such a big amount of cash was kept at his residence, the ED official said.
Former chairman of the School Service Commission (SSC) and vice-chancellor of North Bengal University Subiresh Bhattacharya were also apprehended in connection with the alleged scam.
Sinha, an MLA from Bolpur and MSME and textile minister, was not present at home when the sleuths of the federal agency reached his house. On hearing the raid, he later rushed to his residence.
Besides, Sinha’s house, the CBI raided four other places in connection with the recruitment scam case.
“We also searched the houses of two businessmen and a tax at Lake Town, Chetla and Ballygunge in Kolkata. They are suspected to be involved in transferring funds from India to abroad. We have collected some documents from these places,” said an ED official.
Sinha had also been summoned by the CBI previously in connection with cattle smuggling cases.
The CBI started a probe into the cash-for-job scam following an order by the Calcutta High Court in May 22, and later the ED started a parallel probe to trace the footprints proceeds of the alleged crime.
Former Judge of the high court, who ordered the central agencies to probe into the recruitment scam, resigned and joined the BJP on March 7.
(With inputs from PTI)