ED seizes properties worth ₹48 crore linked to Partha Chatterjee

In the West Bengal school recruitment scam, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) has attached assets worth ₹48 crore belonging to former state education minister Partha Chatterjee and his aide, Arpita Mukherjee. The attached properties include 40 immovable assets and 35 bank accounts, highlighting the depth of the financial irregularities involved in the case.

The assets seized by the ED consist of flats, a farmhouse, and land in prime locations across Kolkata. The properties were allegedly held under the names of dummy companies operated by Chatterjee's associates to mask the illicit funds. This attachment is part of an ongoing investigation into the multi-crore cash-for-school-job scam that first came to light in July 2022, when raids uncovered substantial amounts of cash and gold.

The ED has now traced six additional properties linked to Chatterjee, including five plots of land and one house located in Bolpur, Birbhum district. These properties are registered in the names of Chatterjee’s associates, but money trails indicate that the funds used for their purchase originated from Chatterjee.

Mayor Firhad Hakim has emphasized the need for continued vigilance and enforcement to prevent such corruption in the future. The total value of assets attached by the ED in connection with this case now stands at over ₹103 crore.