Bengal school recruitment case: ED tracks suspicious bank transactions valued at Rs 13 crore linked to Trinamool Minister, his family

ED Uncovers Rs 12.73 Crore Illegal Transactions Linked to West Bengal Minister Chandranath Sinha in School Jobs Scam

Kolkata’s cash-for-school-job scandal just got bigger. Enforcement Directorate (ED) investigators have uncovered suspicious bank transactions worth Rs 12.73 crore tied to West Bengal Minister Chandranath Sinha, his wife, and his son. These deals seem connected to the massive irregularities in primary teacher recruitments across the state.

The ED laid out these details in their sixth supplementary charge sheet, filed last week at a special Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) court in Kolkata. This comes right after Sinha surrendered to the court on September 6, following its orders in the ongoing probe into the school recruitment scam.

The agency wanted custody of the minister, who handles correctional services, micro, small, and medium enterprises, and textiles departments. But the court gave him interim bail on a Rs 10,000 personal bond, with strict rules. Sinha can’t leave his assembly constituency or Kolkata for now.

Just days later, the ED dropped this bombshell charge sheet, spotlighting fake transactions in bank accounts linked to Sinha’s family. Sources say the agency pointed to accounts in eight public sector banks and one private bank—some in Sinha’s name alone, others joint with his wife Kuntala or son.

A key highlight? A joint account with his wife at a Kolkata branch of a public sector bank saw Rs 1.18 crore in cash deposits, rolled out in phases from January 2016 to November 2019. That’s smack in the middle of the alleged school jobs scam peak. When ED grilled Sinha on where this money came from, he couldn’t explain.

How did ED zero in on him? It started with a diary seized from middleman and now-suspended Trinamool Congress leader Kuntal Ghosh, whom the agency arrested. Last March, ED raided Sinha’s home in Bolpur, Birbhum district, grabbing Rs 41 lakh in cash and a mobile phone.

Sinha stays close to Trinamool heavyweight Anubrata Mondal, the party’s former Birbhum chief. As the West Bengal school jobs case heats up, eyes are on what more the ED uncovers next. This could shake up the state’s political scene even more.

Stay informed on all the latest news, real-time breaking news updates, and follow all the important headlines in world News on Latest NewsX. Follow us on social media Facebook, Twitter(X), Gettr and subscribe our Youtube Channel.