ED doubts involvement of arrested Trinamool MLA Saha in Bengal PDS distribution case as well

Kolkata, Sep 6 Based on specific hints, the sleuths of the Enforcement Directorate (ED) have started an informal probe to get proof on whether Jiban Krishna Saha, the Trinamool Congress legislator who was arrested by them last week, was involved in another alleged scam relating to the Public Distribution System (PDS) in the state.

Saha, the ruling party legislator from Burwan Assembly constituency in Murshidabad district, was arrested on August 25 in connection with the school job case, and he is currently in judicial custody.

Sources aware of the development said that the doubts about Saha’s possible involvement in the PDS case surfaced while the investigating officials of the ED were examining documents related to bank accounts, property, and assets of the legislator and his close associates.

While checking those documents, the investigating officials noticed Saha’s involvement with PDS distribution and rice mill businesses.

Sources said that the investigating officials are currently looking into two aspects regarding Saha’s links to the PDS distribution and rice mill businesses.

The first is whether the proceeds in the school-job case had been invested by Saha in his businesses, and the second is on the possibilities of his parallel involvement in the PDS case.

However, sources added that the second line of investigation is currently just at an informal stage and would be dealt with more seriously and officially if the investigating officials get definite clues in the matter.

However, sources added that in the face of interrogation, Saha stated that certain businesses like PDS distribution, rice mill, and cold storage businesses, were his family-run enterprises, a portion of which he just inherited.

During the course of the probe, the ED officials have tracked several fictitious inward remittances to the bank accounts of Saha in huge amounts and in phases. The arrested ruling party MLA was unable to give any satisfactory answer on the sources of the inward remittances.

Recently, the ED informed a special court in Kolkata that their sleuths have so far confiscated Rs 238 crore, in the form of cash, jewellery and landed property, in the school-job case so far.

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