The West Bengal SSC recruitment scam case, in which former minister Partha Chatterjee and his close aide Arpita Mukherjee have been implicated, is witnessing a number of interesting developments.
Partha Chatterjee ‘greeted’ with ‘chor chor’ chants outside AIIMS Bhubneshwar
According to the latest media reports, Partha Chatterjee was ‘greeted’ with ‘chor chor’ chants outside AIIMS Bhubneshwar earlier today. Videos have emerged wherein the crowd gathered outside the hospital can be heard shouting ‘chor chor’ slogans as Partha Chatterjee is being wheeled into AIIMS Bhubneshwar. He had reached the hospital through Air-Ambulance early on Monday, July 25. He was shifted from state-run SSKM Hospital in Kolkata to AIIMS Bhubaneswar, based on an order passed by the Calcutta High Court.
Massive chaos at Bhubaneswar AIIMS, after huge crowd of Bengalis raise ‘Chor Chor Partha Chor’ slogans. pic.twitter.com/3vwLzVDQzz
— Sudhanidhi Bandyopadhyay (@SudhanidhiB) July 25, 2022
Meanwhile, Dr Ashutosh Biswas, Director of AIIMS Bhubaneswar has given a health update on Partha Chatterjee. He was quoted by ANI as saying, “He (Partha Chatterjee) was having problems because of his chronic illness. We investigated and the report has been submitted to the High Court, there was not much chest pain. He is in stable condition and will be discharged today.”
He (Partha Chatterjee) was having problems because of his chronic illness. We investigated and the report has been submitted to the High Court, there was not much chest pain. He is in stable condition and will be discharged today: Dr Ashutosh Biswas, Director AIIMS Bhubaneswar pic.twitter.com/f2mBQtBXFv
— ANI (@ANI) July 25, 2022
It may be recalled that a single bench of Justice Bibek Chaudhuri of Calcutta High Court heard the ED petition on 24th July 2022 and ordered that the accused be moved to AIIMS Bhubaneswar by air ambulance. The ED had moved the plea after a local court yesterday had ordered Partha Chatterjee to be admitted to a hospital.
Interestingly, after he was remanded to ED custody for two days in the SSC teacher recruitment scam, he complained of chest pain, and the court allowed him to shift to the SSKM hospital instead of ED custody.
Five properties purchased in Arpita’s name were bought by the TMC minister
In a separate development, during the ED raid, sale deeds of at least half a dozen properties in Arpita Mukherjee’s name were discovered at her home in Kolkata, West Bengal (ED). Out of these, Partha Chatterjee had invested in at least five properties, as per reports. The sale deeds included entertainment enterprises, flats in posh localities and high-rise towers, etc.
Earlier OpIndia reported how the flat from where the massive amount of cash had been recovered by the ED was also owned by Partha Chatterjee. He had ‘gifted’ it to the actor Arpita Mukherjee.
In fact, it had also emerged that the TMC minister owns a luxurious flat in the Naktala neighbourhood of South Kolkata, which is reportedly used to keep his dogs. As per reports, the TMC Minister does not stay there and uses the air-conditioned flat as an exclusive space for his four-legged friends. The veteran politician has 3 pet dogs, which are housed on the 2nd floor of the ‘Siddhi Enclave.’ The air-conditioner is reportedly run 24 hours to keep the dogs cool. Moreover, Partha Chatterjee has also hired 2 caretakers, including a woman, to look after his pets. The flat earlier had four dogs, but one died some time ago, and now there are three dogs.
ED uses RBI’s assistance to transport money and other valuables seized from Arpita Mukherjee
The Enforcement Directorate (ED) had reportedly called upon the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) regional office in Kolkata to assist it to move the huge sum of cash and valuables seized from Arpita Mukherjee’s home to the agency’s office at the CGO complex at Salt Lake in Kolkata.
Officials from the ED stated that the truck was carrying 20 steel trunks that were meant to carry the valuables seized from Mukherjee’s home. Later, the 15 trunks that were filled with cash and valuables and five empty trunks were transferred to the ED office at the CGO complex in Salt Lake, Kolkata.
As per reports, the central agency had recovered Rs 21.20 cr cash in denominations of Rs 500 and Rs 2,000, gold ornaments estimated to be around Rs 90 lakh, foreign currency amounting to around Rs 60 lakh, 20 high-end Apple iPhones, sale deeds of 8 other flats, papers of multiple costly vehicles from the house of Arpita Mukherjee, a close aide of Partha Chatterjee.
ED arrests Partha Chatterjee and his aide Arpita Mukherjee in connection with the money laundering aspect of the SSC scam
On July 23, officials of the Enforcement Directorate arrested Partha Chatterjee and later produced him before the Bankshall court. He was sent to judicial custody for a period of 2 days by the court. Arpita Mukherjee also has been arrested after the recovery of just a stash of cash from her flat.
The arrest came a day after the Enforcement Directorate began search operations at various premises linked to the recruitment scam in the West Bengal School Service Commission (WB-SSC) and West Bengal Primary Education Board. Prior to the arrest, Partha Chatterjee was questioned for around 26 hours in connection with the SSC scam case. The Enforcement Directorate also raided 13 locations linked to the TMC Minister.
