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Kolkata, Nov 9 (IANS) The Enforcement Directorate (ED) investigation into the School Service Commission (SSC) recruitment case has revealed that arrested Trinamool Congress MLA Jeevan Krishna Saha and his associates had demanded money in exchange for jobs not only from ineligible job seekers but also from qualified candidates.
Sources in the Central Investigation Agency said on Sunday that huge amounts of money were taken from many candidates in the name of getting jobs as teachers in government schools. The ED claimed that an organized gang led by Saha was selling jobs in exchange for money.
According to sources, Saha’s name has emerged as the main planner of that gang.
ED sources said fear and greed were the two factors even among eligible candidates. Many people were told that they would have to pay money to get a job. If anyone refused to pay, they were allegedly threatened with cancellation of their appointment letters. ED claimed that someone demanded Rs 10 lakh, while someone demanded Rs 16.50 lakh.
According to sources, the ED has already recorded statements of several candidates, who have given detailed information about the money transactions made directly to the MLA and his associates. Many of them have said that when they initially refused to pay the money, recruitment was delayed or cancelled.
According to sources, this transaction network was created at the district and state level on the instructions of Saha. The Central Investigation Agency is now investigating the link through which the money was exchanged. Apart from this, mobile phone messages and bank transaction documents are also being collected as proof of giving and taking money.
Investigators believe that this network of corruption was spread in different parts of the state. The investigators are also planning to interrogate Saha in front of those candidates in the coming days.
Recently, the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) court rejected the bail plea of Trinamool Congress MLA Jiban Krishna Saha, who was arrested by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in the SSC recruitment corruption case. The judge ordered him to be kept in judicial custody till November 18.
It is noteworthy that in August, ED had arrested the Trinamool MLA from his house in Burwan in Murshidabad district. The MLA tried to escape by climbing the boundary wall of his house and threw one of his two mobile phones in a bush. However, he was stopped from escaping by ED officials, who also recovered the mobile phone. After he failed to answer ED’s questions regarding lakhs of rupees found in the bank accounts of his relatives, he was arrested by the financial investigation agency.
In April 2023, CBI had arrested Saha in the same case. After 13 months he got bail from the Supreme Court.
According to sources, ED officials told the court that the scam money was deposited in Saha’s bank account in installments.
The ED case is related to a CBI FIR registered on the orders of the Calcutta High Court over alleged irregularities in the recruitment of Group C and D staff, assistant teachers of classes 9 to 12 and primary teachers. The central agency has so far filed four chargesheets and arrested several prominent people, including former state education minister Partha Chatterjee, his alleged aide Arpita Mukherjee and former TMC MLA Manik Bhattacharya.
–IANS
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