On July 27, during the second raid on a house linked to TMC minister Partha Chatterjee’s close aide Arpita Mukherjee, Enforcement Directorate (ED), recovered another large cache cash worth over Rs 278 crore along with gold jewellery worth Rs 4.31 crore. The ED yesterday raided two flats in an apartment in Belgharia in Kolkata, which belongs to Arpita Mukherjee. The probe agency has again found many banknotes in one of the flats. Several cash counting machines and even a truck were called in to ferry the huge amount of cash recovered from her flat.
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
Following the recovery, news Agency ANI published photographs of cash and jewellery, courtesy of ED. The perfectly placed cash spelling ED and photographs of a pile of remaining cash and gold jewellery resulted in a flood of memes and jokes.
Author and scientist Anand Ranganathan said, “There’s so much cash and gold being unearthed in Didi’s Bengal the IMF might have to revise its 2022-23 GDP forecast for India.”
There’s so much cash and gold being unearthed in Didi’s Bengal the IMF might have to revise its 2022-23 GDP forecast for India.
— Anand Ranganathan (@ARanganathan72) July 28, 2022
Twitter user YearOfRat said, “TMC: Tera Mera Cash. Tum Mujhe Cash do, main tumhe’ secularism’ dungi.”
TMC: Tera Mera Cash
— AgniveeRatty (@YearOfRat) July 28, 2022
Tum Mujhe Cash do, main tumhe ‘secularism’ dungi. pic.twitter.com/WZ4rEFZdwb
Twitter user Rishi Bagree asked netizens what they would do if they got their hands on so much cash.
What will you do if you get this pile of cash ? pic.twitter.com/JJUulhwRWu
— Rishi Bagree (@rishibagree) July 27, 2022
In a reply, Twitter user Raghav Yadav said, “If I get this money, then I will become CM of Delhi by giving all thing free”, followed by a laughing emoji.
If I will get this money than I will become CM of Delhi by giving all thing freee….😆
— Raghav Yadav (@alpha_raghav) July 27, 2022
Atul went one step ahead and said, “I would buy MLAs and form a government.”
सबसे पहले अप्पुन विधायक खरीदेगा फिर अपनी सरकार बनाएगा।।😎😎@rishibagree https://t.co/KhFqIdxDku
— Atul أتول (@MrAtulSingh1) July 27, 2022
Another Twitter user Totantillaya quoted ANI’s tweet and said, “Spelling ED with the money would have been the highlight of the day for the officers involved.”
Spelling ED with the money would have been the highlight of the day for the officers involved 😆😆 https://t.co/6u3ukU1zab
— १४४.eth | backchod.eth | pradhyumnabhat.eth (@Totantillaya) July 28, 2022
Twitter user Vain Gosh said, “shoutout to the guy who gave up on his artistic pursuits for a stable govt job, so now channels it into arranging the seized cash on raids.”
shoutout to the guy who gave up on his artistic pursuits for a stable govt job, so now channels it into arranging the seized cash on raids https://t.co/yVHOowyOhp
— vain gogh (@amrtsh) July 28, 2022
Twitter user Justtweeto urged ED to be more creative and said, “There is so much money and jewellery that not only ED, they could have written ‘DIDI’ as well with ‘rangoli’ of jewellery.”
इतना माल है कि ED क्या DIDI लिखा जा सकता है सोने की रंगोली सजा के , थोड़ा innovate करें महोदय 😊 https://t.co/gUEl4Yo6kE
— Justtweeto (@justtweeto) July 28, 2022
Twitter user Arabindha said, “I think there is enough money there for ED to spell Enforcement Directorate Fully and even include their office address and Phone Number.”
I think there is enough money there for @dir_ed to spell Enforcement Directorate Fully and even include their office address and Phone Number !!! Waah Didi Waah !!! @AITCofficial @MamataOfficial https://t.co/UYPNMYkBR4
— Aravindha (@Aravindhapk) July 28, 2022
Twitter user Volklub said, “Now I see where we’re all Rs 2000 notes going. Politicians & Businessmen are stockpiling it. Jo pakda jaye wohi chor.”
Now I see where were all Rs 2000 notes going. Politicians & Businessmen are stockpiling it. Jo pakda jaye wohi chor. https://t.co/zeC6hRLkIg
— Sunderdeep – Volklub (@volklub) July 28, 2022
Earlier on July 22, ED had recovered cash worth over Rs 21 crore, jewellery and foreign exchange from the residence of Arpita Mukherjee in Tollygunge. Reportedly, that flat had been ‘gifted’ to her by arrested TMC leader Partha Chatterjee. It is believed that the recovered money is the proceeds of the SSC teacher recruitment scam during the time when Partha Chatterjee was the education minister in West Bengal. The Calcutta High Court has ordered a probe into this scam, following which CBI and ED conducted searches and investigations.
Both Partha Chatterjee and Arpita Mukherjee have been arrested by ED. Arpita has told ED that the money found at her houses belongs to Partha Chatterjee, and he was using the houses as ‘mini banks’.
