The Enforcement Directorate recovered cash amounting to approximately Rs. 40 croresz+ from the premises of Arpita Mukherjee, who is a close associate of All India Trinamool Congress (TMC) minister Partha Chatterjee.
The amount that is recovered from the premises of Arpita Mukherjee is subject to the amount proceeds from the recruitment scam in the West Bengal School Service Commission and West Bengal Primary Education Board.
Enforcement Directorate (ED) officers also recovered 20 mobile phones from the residence of Arpita Mukherjee along with cash.
According to the statement released by the ED, they claimed that they conducted search operations at several places in relation to the teachers recruitment scam and during which a heavy amount of cash was recovered.
Cash of Rs 27.9 crores in cash, gold, and jewellery worth Rs 4.31 crores has been recovered till now from the residence of Arpita Mukherjee, a close aide of West Bengal Minister Partha Chatterjee: Sources pic.twitter.com/ZWJuccciw8
— ANI (@ANI) July 28, 2022
Who is Arpita Mukherjee?
Arpita is an actress and a model. She has acted in several Odia and Tamil films, including some Bengali films named Mama Bhagne and Partner. Arpita Mukherjee is a close aide of Partha Chatterjee who is related to TMC.
According to different sources, she has been promoting Naktala Puja for many years and several times she was also seen campaigning with Partha Chatterjee at Behala West Centre. She has been living in a luxury flat in a posh locality of South Kolkata for the past few years.
What was the teachers recruitment scam in West Bengal?
The move comes on the directive orders of the Calcutta High Court to look into the teacher recruitment scam, The alleged irregularities that have been committed in the recruitment of Group-C and D staff as well as teachers in government-sponsored and –aided schools on recommendations of the West Bengal School Service Commission.
The Enforcement Directorate is tracking the money trail in the scam.
How is Arpita Mukherjee related to TMC?
Arpita Mukherjee is the close associate of Partha Chatterjee who is a minister in TMC and several times Arpita was seen campaigning for Partha.
BJP’s Amit Malviya shared a video of Mamata Banerjee’s interaction with Arpita Mukherjee and he captioned it , “Not too long ago, Mamata Banerjee, from an open platform, praised Partha Chaterjee’s close aide, from whose residential premise, ED seized a small sum of 20 crore. Mamata knew of her and the “good work” she was doing. Make no mistake, Partha wasn’t scamming on his own accord…”
The Trinamool Congress has denied all these allegations by saying that the money recovered from Arpita Mukherjee has no link with the party or with her.