The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has attached immovable properties valued at Rs 230.6 crore in connection with its probe in the West Bengal assistant teachers recruitment scam. Kolkata’s Zonal Office-II attached these properties, land parcels and a flat, which are being held in the name of one Prasanna Kumar Roy and Santi Prasad Sinha and also in the names of various companies and Limited Liabilities Partnerships (LLPs) controlled by them.
The attached land parcels held in the name of Prasanna Kumar Roy include approximately 96 Cottah (a measure of land in Bengal) in Patharghata, 117 Cottah in Sultanpur, 282 Cottah in Maheshtala and 136 Cottah in New Town in Kolkata.
The attached properties held in the name of Santi Prasad Sinha include a benami flat situated in Bengal Ambuja Housing, Purba Jadavpur, Kolkata, and two land parcels located in Kapashati.
ED initiated a money laundering investigation based on two First Information Reports (FIRs) registered by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) under Sections 120B and 420 of the Indian Penal Code and Section 7 of the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988 in the matter of alleged illegal appointment of Assistant Teachers in Class IX-X and Class XI-XII for offering appointment to the undeserving, non-listed and below-ranked candidates and depriving the deserving and genuine candidates.
The allegation includes appointment without maintaining fairness, a criminal conspiracy by various persons and flouting the relevant rules, said the ED.
The CBI chargesheets said that a total of 2,081 (1135 for classes IX-X and 946 for classes XI-XII) candidates were appointed and recommended illegally for the post of Assistant Teachers by the officials of WBCSSC in criminal conspiracy with others.
Earlier, ED arrested Prasanna Kumar Roy (the main middleman involved in the alleged collection of money and details from candidates) and Santi Prasad Sinha (the then Advisor of WBCSSC) in the assistant teachers recruitment scam and both are presently in judicial custody.
In another case of Primary Teachers Recruitment Scam in West Bengal, ED has already attached and seized properties worth Rs 135 crore. The total attachment and seizure in teacher recruitment scams in West Bengal so far stands at Rs 365.60 crore.
(with inputs from ANI)
