Kolkata, 25 August (H.S.): The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Monday arrested Jiban Krishna Saha, Trinamool Congress MLA from Burwan in connection with the teacher recruitment corruption case. He had been arrested earlier by the CBI in connection with the same case but was later released on bail.

On Monday morning, the ED conducted a raid at Saha’s residence in Andi village. After nearly six hours of questioning, the MLA was taken into custody. He is being brought to Kolkata and will be produced before the Bankshall Court later in the day.

Saha had first been arrested by the CBI around two years ago, following a day-long raid and interrogation at his residence. At that time, he had allegedly thrown his mobile phone into a pond behind his house in an attempt to destroy evidence. Investigators, however, claimed to have gathered sufficient proof against him. According to the charges, Saha had recommended several candidates from his constituency to then Education Minister Partha Chatterjee in exchange for hefty sums of money. The CBI also claimed to have recovered partial evidence of these alleged transactions from his house. Last year, the Supreme Court granted him bail in the case.

On Monday, as ED officials arrived at his residence, Saha tried to escape and once again attempted to dispose of his mobile phone in a pond. But security forces apprehended him swiftly. During the six-hour interrogation, ED officials said, the MLA was uncooperative, providing no satisfactory answers.

According to ED sources, investigators have found evidence that money from the illegal sale of teaching jobs had been deposited into Saha’s bank account. He is also accused of misusing his political influence to secure jobs for relatives and close associates. Following his arrest, he will first be taken to the CGO Complex in Salt Lake before being presented in the ED’s special court at Bankshall.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Priyanka Pandey