New Delhi: The Enforcement Directorate (ED) arrested State Industries Minister Partha Chatterjee on Saturday (July 23, 2022) morning after continuous questioning and questioning. Around 10:30 am on Friday, a team of ED went to Naktala's house for questioning. The investigators interrogated the minister throughout the day and night. He was arrested around 9:30 am on Saturday.
He is being taken to the CGO complex and will be taken to the court today itself, where ED will demand the custody of the minister. On Saturday, the witnesses signed the arrest memo before the arrest. After that, ED investigators took him out of the house. Outside the house, Partha's lawyer told the media that the state councilor and industry minister has been arrested.
#WATCH | Enforcement Directorate (ED) team arrests former West Bengal Education Minister, Partha Chatterjee from his residence in Kolkata. The team had been here since yesterday in connection with the SSC recruitment scam. pic.twitter.com/iGkfQNlF0X
— ANI (@ANI) July 23, 2022
On Saturday, former Education Minister (now Industries Minister) Partha Chatterjee appeared at Naktala's door. In the morning, he was woken up and interrogated in stages. ED officials stayed at the minister's house throughout the night. The minister's house was surrounded by central forces. According to sources, Parth fell ill during continuous interrogation. Doctors reached his home twice. But even that did not stop the question-period.
At the same time, the ED claimed that around 21 crore in cash was found from the house of Arpita Mukherjee, a 'closer' of Partha in South Kolkata. The two stacks were filled with bundles of 2000 and 500 rupee notes. ED claimed that 20 mobile phones were also found in that house. The recovered cash is still being counted with the help of bank staff. ED sources believe that the money is part of the bribe taken for illegal recruitment in the school.
ED claims, in the report of the committee headed by former Justice Ranjit Kumar Bagh and in the face of CBI interrogation, Education Secretary Manish Jain, said that all the appointments were made on the orders of the former Education Minister. He was the main controller in recruitment.
According to ED sources, it is verified by collecting and interrogating documents initially. The investigators woke up the minister at 7.30 am on Friday without any summons notice and started questioning him. After reaching Naktala's house, the investigators ordered the minister's security guards and bodyguards to switch off their mobile phones.
ED sources claimed that the same order was given to the minister as well. Parth sent two lawyers to the house in the afternoon. However, according to sources, the investigators did not allow them to be present during the interrogation. According to ED sources, at noon, Partha's family doctor accompanied the police and conducted a physical examination in front of the investigators. Later, three specialist doctors from SSKM also visited the minister. After that, the interrogation continued.
