WB SSC scam: Partha Chatterjee's arrest was expected, several top TMC leaders involved, says Dilip Ghosh

Bharatiya Janata Party national Vice President Dilip Ghosh on Saturday, commenting on the arrest of former West Bengal Education Minister Partha Chatterjee in connection with the WB School Service Commission and Primary Education Board recruitment scam, said that the roots of the scam go deep down to the "top-level leaders" of TMC including the MPs and MLAs.

Enforcement Directorate, earlier today, arrested Chatterjee following the raids by the central probe agency which seized Rs 20 crore in cash from the premises of his close associate Arpita Mukherjee, in connection with an alleged teacher recruitment scam in the state.

Speaking to ANI, Ghosh said, "His arrest was about to happen. The roots of the scam go deep down to hundreds of leaders including the MPs, MLAs, top-level leaders. Yesterday, a TMC leader said that they would not spare the CBI if any of the TMC leaders are made to face mental trauma. They tried to stop the central agencies. From the district president of Birbhum who was caught last week, properties worth Rs 150 crore have been recovered."

The BJP leader called for a "detailed probe" into the matter and said that more such things will surface as the probe proceeds.

"A detailed probe should be conducted on the documents that were recovered. An investigation should be conducted on the names that were found. Flats are registered in the names of various women. They own a college worth Rs 45 crore in East Medinipur, but such things do not come to the surface. As the ED has become active now, such things would be revealed," he said.

Taking a jibe at Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, Ghosh said that she knows everything in the world but is "unaware of the corruption" of her ministers.

"Mamata Banerjee knows everything about the world and is not aware of the corruption of her ministers. Money used to come to Kalighat (chief minister's residence). Nobody is untouched. More money is expected to be recovered," he said.

"The BJP has been seeking an investigation into such scams for a long time. People have also been demanding the same. We approached the Supreme Court in the Sharda scam," Ghosh added.

Notably, the arrests were made at Chatterjee's residence in Kolkata. The ED team was at the spot since yesterday.

Earlier on Friday, Enforcement Directorate (ED) officials raided the residences of Bengal ministers Partha Chatterjee and Paresh Adhikari and several others and recovered huge cash amounting to approximately Rs 20 crore from the residential premises of Arpita Mukherjee, who is a close associate of Partha Chatterjee.

The said amount is suspected to be proceeds of crime of said SSC scam. The search team is taking the assistance of bank officials for the counting of cash through cash counting machines.A total of more than 20 mobile phones have also been recovered from the premises of Arpita Mukherjee, the purpose and use of which are being ascertained, said the probe agency.

Besides cash, a number of other incriminating documents, records, details of dubious companies, electronic devices, foreign currency and gold has also been recovered from the various premises of the persons linked to the scam.

( With inputs from ANI )

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