Kolkata’s Enforcement Directorate office has struck hard against the notorious West Bengal SSC assistant teacher recruitment scam, attaching ₹57.78 crore worth of real estate under PMLA provisions. The action implicates TMC MLA Jiban Krishna Saha, broker Prasanna Kumar Roy, and their networks in a web of corruption spanning classes 9-12 hiring.
Spanning districts like North 24 Parganas, Murshidabad, Paschim Bardhaman, and urban Kolkata hubs such as Rajarhat-New Town, the attached assets comprise luxury flats, villas, and plots. Each was funded by ‘crime proceeds’ from rigged recruitments, ED confirmed.
Triggered by CBI FIRs following Calcutta High Court orders, the investigation exposed systemic fraud: doctored OMRs, fudged interviews, and post-deadline hires of unfit candidates. Roy orchestrated the extortion, demanding crores from desperate job seekers, then layering funds via corporate entities into property buys.
Saha’s involvement was equally damning. He actively managed bribe collections for various posts, channeling ₹3.01 crore into family-held assets. His dramatic arrest mid-raid in August 2025 underscored the stakes. Neelima Mangal’s holdings, linked to Roy, faced similar scrutiny.
With Roy already chargesheeted and in custody, this attachment escalates pressure. It builds on prior seizures: ₹247 crore in Group C/D scam, another ₹238 crore here, and ₹154 crore in primary teacher fraud—totaling a staggering ₹698 crore blocked by ED Kolkata.
As probes deepen, these moves highlight the agency’s commitment to dismantling entrenched corruption in public hiring, offering hope to millions affected by such betrayals of trust.
