The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has conducted search operations at seven properties linked to Trinamool Congress MLA and former minister Madan Mitra in connection with an alleged municipal recruitment scam, with investigators claiming that the probe has uncovered evidence of bribes paid in cash and gold through middlemen for appointments to municipal posts.
According to the agency, the investigation has revealed that undeserving candidates were allegedly appointed to various positions in municipalities, including the Kamarhati municipality. The searches were carried out on June 13 as part of the ongoing inquiry.
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ED Examines Alleged Recruitment Irregularities
The agency stated that Madan Mitra allegedly received bribes in the form of cash and gold through intermediaries in exchange for facilitating appointments.
Investigators claim that the Kamarhati MLA facilitated around 125 such appointments. Officials are examining documents and digital devices recovered during the search operations as part of the investigation.
The ED said the material collected so far forms part of its effort to establish the extent of the alleged recruitment irregularities and identify those involved.
Police Search Residence and Recover Documents
A team from the Barrackpore Police Commissionerate also conducted a search at Mitra’s residence, known as Uday Villa.
According to the report, the premises were found locked. Police broke the lock, entered the building and carried out a search. It is alleged that the land on which the villa stands belongs to a central government agency.
The report further claims that authorities are investigating allegations of illegal encroachment and construction at the site. Several confidential documents were reportedly recovered during the search.
Probe Traced Back to Earlier ED Investigation
The ED said it first came across the alleged municipal recruitment scam while conducting a raid at the residence of Ayan Sheel, a promoter linked to the Trinamool Congress.
That search was carried out in connection with a money laundering investigation related to the West Bengal school recruitment scam. According to the report, documents and information recovered during the raid led investigators to uncover details of the municipal recruitment case.
Subsequently, following an order of the Calcutta High Court, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) launched a parallel investigation into the alleged cash-for-municipal-jobs case. The report states that as investigations by the ED and CBI progressed, the names of several influential political figures, including state ministers and leaders of the then-ruling Trinamool Congress, emerged during the inquiry.
