On August 21 and 22, 2023, the Directorate of Enforcement (ED) carried out search operations in accordance with the Prevention of Money Laundering Act, 2002, at three locations in Kolkata that were connected to Sujay Krishna Bhadra, the alleged perpetrator of the Teachers Recruitment Scam in West Bengal. Various damning papers and digital evidence were found and confiscated during the search activities.
Sujay Krishna Bhadra, the defendant, was the Chief Operating Officer (COO) of M/s Leaps and Bounds Private Limited, a business involved in questionable transactions totalling millions of rupees. From April 2012 until March 2016, Sujay Krishna Bhadra served as a director in this organisation as well. The CEO of M/s Leaps and Bounds Private Limited is Abhishek Banerjee, a TMC MP who served as a director of the business from April 2012 until January 2014.
ED had already detained Sujay Krishna Bhadra as part of its investigation into the Teachers Recruitment Scam on May 30, 2023, and on July 28, 2023, it filed the case’s fourth supplemental prosecution complaint against Sujay Krishna Bhadra and others before the Hon’ble Special Court (PMLA), Kolkata. The Hon’ble Special Court found a prima facie case against the accused on the same day, or 28.07.2023, and took notice of the complaint.
Three Provisional Attachment orders have already been granted in the case by ED. As of now, 126.70 crore rupees have been seized and attached in relation to the case. The West Bengal Teachers Recruitment Scam has resulted in the arrest of seven people, including Partha Chatterjee, MLA and former education minister of West Bengal; Ms Arpita Mukherjee; Manik Bhattacharya, MLA, TMC and the former president of the West Bengal Board of Primary Education; Kuntal Ghosh; Santanu Banerjee; Ayan Sil; and Sujay Krishna Bhadra. Additional investigation is being conducted.
