Monday, December 9, 2024

Arpita Mukherjee wails as she is brought for medical check up in Kolkata

The two high-profile suspects in the West Bengal school job scam, sacked minister Partha Chatterjee and his aide actor Arpita Mukherjee, were brought in for mandatory medical checkups today at Kolkata’s ESI Hospital. 

However, the routine checkup made for dramatic visuals as the duo were brought in on wheelchairs for the medical checkups. Mukherjee was seen wailing as she was rushed into the hospital away from the hundreds of media personnel who had gathered outside the hospital.

On the other hand, as he deboarded a vehicle and was approached by reporters, Chatterjee said he was just a “victim of a conspiracy”. The 69-year-old leader, who is under the custody of the Enforcement Directorate, was taken to ESI hospital at Joka on the southern outskirts of the city for a medical check up during the day

Chatterjee was arrested by the Enforcement Directorate on July 23 in connection with its investigation into alleged irregularities in a recruitment drive by the School Service Commission (SSC). The central agency also held Chatterjee’s close associate Mukherjee and seized crores of rupees in cash from her residences in different parts of the city.

So far at least Rs 50 crore have been seized in cash in various denominations, while gold jewellery and solid moulds of about 5 kg weight have been seized. Separately, deeds of several properties owned by both Chatterjee and Mukherjee have been found. 

Mukherjee has reportedly confessed that she was only a safe keeper who allowed her flats to be used as “mini banks” to store Chatterjee’s wealth out of sight. She has said that she was not even allowed inside rooms that contained the money and only Chatterjee’s men operated the locks installed in the storeroom. She has claimed that none of the things recovered belonged to her.

t is interesting to note that Chatterjee, in his election affidavit, had claimed his total net worth to be just about Rs 1.16 crore, out of which Rs 90,94,863 was movable assets, while Rs 25,00,000 was under the category of immovable assets. 

The CBI, as directed by Calcutta High Court, is probing the alleged irregularities committed in the recruitment of Group-C and -D staff as well as teachers in government-sponsored and -aided schools on the recommendations of the West Bengal School Service Commission. The ED is looking into the money trail involved in the scam.

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