The Enforcement Directorate (ED) had arrested TMC MLA Jiban Krishna Saha on allegations of corruption in the recruitment of assistant teachers in classes IX and X carried out by the West Bengal School Service Commission (WBSSC) on August 25. According to ED officials, he allegedly used Gramin Bank accounts to deposit money collected from candidates.

Agency sources said that while suspicious transactions in state-owned banks must be reported by the concerned bank authorities to the Financial Investigation Unit (FIU), Gramin Banks lack the infrastructure to report such transactions. Officials alleged that Saha exploited this loophole, opened accounts in Gramin Banks, and routed transactions through them.

Investigators also said the Gramin Bank headquarters used for the transactions is located in Murshidabad, the MLA’s district, giving him additional leeway to operate. The total cash deposits traced so far “have exceeded Rs 1.2 crore”, allegedly corresponding to the time of the alleged scam.

When confronted, Saha denied knowledge of any such transactions, ED sources claimed. Officials further alleged that Saha had concealed the existence of his own and his wife’s accounts.

One of the Gramin Bank accounts allegedly had deposits exceeding Rs 50 lakh, which the ED is investigating. These accounts were allegedly opened in the financial year 2017-18. The agency claims to have identified 12 accounts in the names of Saha and his wife. However, the ED says no suspicious transactions have been found so far in state-owned banks.

The ED has also recorded multiple statements under Section 50 of the PMLA, where individuals allegedly admitted to paying money to Saha for recruitment. Some alleged 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 instalments. Based on this, the ED believes Saha was actively involved in collecting money for providing jobs illegally.

Investigators also claimed Saha had purchased several properties in his own name and in the names of associates, with most payments made in cash. When confronted, Saha allegedly told the ED the money came from personal savings and gifts from his father. But in his own statement, Saha’s father allegedly denied giving him any gifts or having any business involvement with him.

Saha is currently in jail custody. He was previously arrested by the CBI in April 2023 on similar charges and later released on bail. On Monday, when ED officials reached his residence in Burwan constituency, he allegedly tried to escape by jumping from the first floor and scaling the boundary wall. Like in 2023, he also allegedly threw his mobile phone into a drain, but ED officials recovered it after a search.

The central agency has further alleged that Rs 46 lakh was siphoned off into various accounts belonging to Saha’s relatives.

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. Over 25,000 appointees lost their jobs. The SSC has since announced new examination dates — September 7 for classes IX and X and September 14 for classes XI and XII.