New Delhi/Kolkata, April 11 The Enforcement Directorate conducted fresh searches on Saturday against former West Bengal education minister Partha Chatterjee and others as part of an investigation into alleged money laundering related to a teacher recruitment scam in the state, officials said.
Two premises, including Chatterjee's residence and that of Prasanna Kumar Roy, an alleged middleman in the case, in Kolkata, are among the locations searched, they said.
The suspended TMC leader, Chatterjee, previously served as the party's secretary-general and a key strategist even before the party came to power in 2011.
The action was taken after Chatterjee failed to appear for questioning before the ED three times in connection with the alleged recruitment scam of the West Bengal Central School Service Commission (SSC) for assistant teachers in classes IX to XII, officials said.
The ED arrested Chatterjee in July 2022 in connection with the alleged primary teacher recruitment scam.
The Supreme Court recently granted him conditional bail in this case, and he has been released from jail.
The federal investigation agency is probing multiple cases against him related to the recruitment of primary teachers, SSC assistant teachers, and SSC group C and D staff hiring.