Similar modus operandi in Bengal municipality & school job scams

Kolkata, June 9 (IANS) The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), which is conducting a parallel probe along with Enforcement Directorate (ED) in the multi-crore municipalities recruitment case in West Bengal, has tracked some similarities in the modus operandi of scam proceeds collection with that of the school recruitment case.

Sources said that as per the preliminary evidence collected by the central agency like the school recruitment scam, in case of the municipalities' recruitment also an agent network played the most important role in collection of scam proceeds.

The CBI sleuths are convinced on this count following the recovery of several crucial documents from a number of municipalities after recent raid and search operations conducted in 14 simultaneous locations this week.

The documents recovered by the central agency sleuths were mainly pertaining to the recruitments of lower category staff in different municipalities of the state mainly scattered in the districts of North 24 Parganas, Hooghly and Nadia.

Sources said that the central agency sleuths are currently busy segregating the appointments made directly by the municipalities and those made by the outsourced agencies owned by private real estate promoter Ayan Sil, who is already in judicial custody now because of his alleged involvement in the school recruitment case.

The central sleuths feel that after the segregation process is completed they will have a clear idea on the number of recruitments made illegally against some consideration and how many in each such municipality.

Meanwhile the ED, which initially brought the municipalities' recruitment scam to surface, has made a rough estimate that the scam amount involved in this case will be ranging to the tune of around Rs 200 crore. The CBI sleuths believe that if the ED's estimations are correct, such a huge scam would not have been possible unless there was an involvement of an orchestrated agent network. As per initial findings, jobs for posts like clerks, ambulance drivers and cleaners were sold against payments ranging from Rs 4,00,000 to Rs 7,00,000.

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