Bengal municipality recruitment scam: ED seizes Rs 45 lakh in cash, documents

Kolkata: The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has seized Rs 45 lakh in unexplained cash, incriminating documents, and digital devices during raids conducted in connection with the alleged irregularities in recruitment to South Dum Dum Municipality in West Bengal, the agency said in a statement.

Sleuths of the agency's Kolkata zonal office carried out search operations at 13 locations in and around Kolkata, including the residence and firms of West Bengal Fire Minister Sujit Bose, on Friday in connection with its probe into the scam.

"During the searches, various incriminating documents, including those related to property, digital devices and unexplained cash amounting to Rs 45 lakh have been seized," the ED statement issued on Saturday evening said.

The ED teams raided the minister's residence-cum-office in Salt Lake, a councillor's house in Nagerbazar area, and houses of former officials of the South Dum Dum Municipality on Friday.

Bose has accused the central agency of "targeting him politically ahead of the assembly elections".

"They conduct these raids every time there's an election knocking on the door. These visits are meant for leaders belonging to the opposition parties. This is nothing new. They have raided my properties before and found nothing incriminating against me. This is a strategy to exert pressure before the polls," Bose said.

The minister claimed that his honesty certificate would ultimately be given by the people and not any agency.

"Let the investigating agency do its work. We will do ours. They keep talking about corruption, but fail to furnish the required evidence. The people know everything. They will give me my certificate," he said.

In January 2024, the ED searched a few properties, including residences and an office, owned by the TMC leader, and questioned him in connection with the same case.

Following that 14-hour raid, the agency had seized certain documents and the politician's mobile phone, prompting Bose to state that he would send his resignation papers to Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee forthwith, if investigators could prove he accepted "even one rupee from people in return for his ministerial services".