Arrested TMC MLA used Gramin Bank accounts to launder scam money, says ED

ED officials said that Saha exploited a loophole in the operation of Gramin Bank, which lacks the infrastructure to report suspicious transactions to the Financial Investigation Unit (FIU).

“These 12 accounts in Saha and his wife’s name were opened in the 2017-18 financial year, corresponding to the period of the recruitment scam. The total cash deposited so far exceeded Rs 1.2 crore in the same period. One of the Gramin Bank accounts had deposits exceeding Rs 50 lakh, which we are investigating,” said an ED official.

However, the ED stated that, so far, no suspicious transactions have been found in Saha’s accounts in the state-owned banks.

“When confronted, Saha denied knowledge of any such transactions. He had concealed the existence of his own and his wife’s accounts in Gramin Banks,” the ED official said.

According to the ED, the central agency has recorded statements of several individuals under section 50 of the PMLA in which they admitted to paying money to Saha for getting the teacher’s job. “Some claim that they had paid Rs 1 lakh in cash, while others said they paid Rs 8 lakh, Rs 12 lakh, and Rs 11.5 lakh in installments,” the official added.

The ED also claimed that Saha purchased several properties in his own name and in the names of associates, with most payments made in cash. “During questioning, Saha told us that the money came from personal savings and gifts from his father. But in his own statement, Saha’s father denied giving him any gifts or having any business involvement with him,” the ED official said.

Saha, who is currently in judicial custody, was arrested by the CBI in April 2023 on similar charges and later released on bail.

In April this year, the Supreme Court set aside the entire panel of teaching and non-teaching staff recruited by the WBSSC in 2016 on grounds of irregularities. The WBSSC has since announced new examination dates — September 7 for classes IX and X and September 14 for classes XI and XII.

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