Bengal job scam: After CBI quizzing, ED raids at TMC youth leader Kuntal Ghosh's flats

The ED officials, aided by the central armed forces, raided the two flats of Ghosh at the Ujjal; Abasan in the posh locality of Chinar Park under the New Town police station area and the search was taking place when the reports came in.

Ghosh is the TMC's youth wing leader of the Hooghly district, has been accused of amassing funds of Rs 19.5-crore from the job seekers between 2014-2021, as per another accused Tapan Mondal statement to the CBI.

The ED's raid happened barely a day after the CBI had quizzed Ghosh for two consecutive days on Wednesday and Thursday after being summoned by the investigating agency at its city office.

"The Enforcement Directorate is carrying out raids in search of money trails in the job scam of total Rs 100 crore," the sources said.

As per investigation reports, over Rs 100 crore was allegedly raised by the TMC leaders from job seekers to employ them as teachers and staff at the state government-aided schools across the state between 2014 and 2021.

Tapas Mondal, who was the president of the association of Bengal’s private-run colleges and institutions, had accused Kuntal Ghosh of raising funds from the job aspirants, told the CBI during interrogation.

Mondal had revealed that some 325 job seekers had been duped in the scam in which Ghosh's share was about Rs 19 crore and for this the ED began searching at the two flats.

A separate report said the ED also on Friday raided the house of another TMC leader Santanu Banerjee at iBolagarh in the Hooghly district, Sources said the ED officials began raiding the house whilst the armed central forces were deployed outside the complex.