Teacher recruitment scam: 21.20 crore cash, jewellery, property papers - how ED managed valuables seized from Arpita Mukherje's residence

Image Credit: SuvenduWB/Twitter

Kolkata: The Enforcement Directorate (ED), which recently raided the residence of Arpita Mukherjee, a close aide of West Bengal Commerce & Industries Minister, Partha Chatterjee, in connection with the teacher’s recruitment scam had to take the help of the Reserve Bank of India in transporting the huge cash and valuables worth several crores it seized during the operation. The central agency had to take the help of the RBI’s regional office in Kolkata to ferry the cash and valuables to the agency`s office at the CGO complex at Salt Lake in Kolkata.

The ED officials finished counting and evaluating the estimated value of the cash and valuables they seized from the accused Arpita Mukherjee’s home late on Saturday evening. After that, a truck from RBI`s regional office in Kolkata arrived at the posh Diamond City complex at Tollygunge in South Kolkata, which housed a flat of Mukherjee, to ferry the cash and the other valuables.

The agency officials confirmed that the truck was carrying 20 steel trunks meant for carrying the valuables seized from Mukherjee`s residence. Later, 15 trunks that were loaded with the cash and valuables and the remaining five empty trunks were brought to the ED office at the CGO complex.

It may be recalled that the ED recovered Rs 21.20 crore cash in Indian currency of Rs 500 and Rs 2,000 denominations, gold ornaments of the estimated market value of around Rs 90 lakhs, the foreign currency of value of around Rs 60 lakhs, 20 high-end Apple iPhones, sale deeds of eight other flats and papers of multiple costly vehicles.

Rs. 20 crore cash recovered by @dir_ed from the residence of Arpita Mukherjee; close aide of WB Education Minister Partha Chatterjee in the SSC scam case.
Sources claim that piles of cash were found inside WB Govt Education Ministry envelopes with
National Emblem printed on them. pic.twitter.com/xLsWQeVzL2 — Suvendu Adhikari • শুভেন্দু অধিকারী (@SuvenduWB) July 22, 2022

Mukherjee, who is currently in ED custody will be presented at a special court of the Public Money Laundering Act (PMLA) court on Monday.

Meanwhile, the ED officials suspect that the assets recovered from the residence of Arpita Mukherjee were just a small portion of the actual reserve. While recovering the assets, the ED sleuths have come across some other incriminating documents that hint at a large number of cash transfers by Mukherjee using the route of private money transfer agents.

These documents also suggest that a certain amount of cash was also transferred through the hawala route to Bangladesh. The assets recovered so far is Rs 21.20 crore worth of Indian currency, gold ornaments of the estimated market value of around Rs 90 lakhs, foreign currency valued at around Rs 60 lakhs, and several high-end smartphones, sale deeds of multiple flats and ownership documents of multiple luxury vehicles.

ED sources have said that they are not as yet sure of the exact amount transferred through these private or hawala routes. They suspect that the value of the transferred money is much higher than what has been recovered in the forms of Indian and foreign currencies and gold ornaments.