School jobs scam : ED raids in Hooghly district

PTI, Mar 18, 2023, 4:00 PM IST

The ED conducted raids at different locations of the neighbouring Hooghly district on Saturday in search of properties belonging to the arrested and now expelled TMC leader Shantanu Banerjee as part of its probe into the alleged cash for school jobs scam in West Bengal, an official of the agency said. The ED sleuths were divided into at least six teams and raided properties allegedly owned by Shantunu Banerjee at Balagarh, Bandel, Chinsurah and other areas in West Bengal’s Hooghly district from Saturday morning, he said. ”As of now nothing much was found from inside the properties belonging to Shantanu. We had to break open the locks of two flats in Bandel and Chinsurah. The lock on the main door of a guest house registered under the accused’s name was also broken,” the official said when contacted.

The ED could not find anything of that significant which could help them in taking the investigation to the next level, he added. ”The search operations are still on, It may take a few more hours to be completed,” he said. Banerjee is in the custody of the central probe agency. He was expelled from the ruling Trinamool Congress soon after his arrest by ED.

The probe body is investigating the scam and have arrested several people for their alleged involvement in irregularities in the recruitment in teaching and non-teaching jobs in state-run and aided schools.