WBSSC scam: ED brings Partha Chatterjee's daughter, son-in-law under scanner

Kolkata, Aug 05, 2022, IANS

The Enforcement Directorate (ED) probing the multi-crore West Bengal School Service Commission (WBSSC) recruitment irregularities scam has now brought Partha Chatterjee's daughter Sohini Bhattacharya and her husband Kalyanmoy Bhattacharya under the scanner.

 

Sohini and Kalyanmoy currently reside in the US and agency officials have sent email communiques to the couple, asking them to reach Kolkata at the earliest for questioning.

 

However, ED sources have said that the reasons for summoning the two were different.

 

Regarding Kalyanmoy Bhattacharya, it is about his association with three companies -- Improline Constructions Private Limited, HRI Wealth Creation Realtors Private Limited, Acrisius Consulting Private Limited.

 

According to records of the Registrar of Companies (ROC) under the Union Ministry of Commerce, he is the Managing Director in Acrisius Consulting, while in the other two, he is only a Director.

 

In HRI Wealth Creation Realtors and Improline Constructions, the second Director is Krishna Chandra Adhikari, who is Kalyanmoy Bhattacharya's maternal uncle and a resident of Pingla in West Midnapore district.

 

The ED sources said that the basic question to Kalyanmoy Bhattacharya will be how he manages to run the companies while sitting in the US.

 

"These companies as we presume are just shell companies floated with the intention of transferring funds to different channels. The registered address of one of them namely HRI Wealth Creation Realtors Private Limited is fake. We expect to get crucial information from him in this matter," an agency official said.

 

Meanwhile, the purpose of summoning Sohini Bhattacharya is related to a farmhouse named "Bishram" in Puri village under Baruipur Municipality, South 24 Parganas district.

 

The farmhouse registered under Sohini Bhattacharya's name, was frequently visited by both Partha Chatterjee and his close aide, Arpita Mukherjee, arrested by the ED in connection with the WBSSC scam.

 

The house recently came to the ED's notice following a theft on the night of July 27.

 

Partha Chatterjee and Arpita Mukherjee will be presented at a special court of Public Money Laundering Act (PMLA) on Friday as the extended ED custody for both of them is set to end.