In Raids Linked To Sacked Bengal Minister, Record Cash Is Found

A fourth house of Arpita Mukherjee, an actor linked to sacked minister Partha Chatterjee, was raided by the Enforcement Directorate a day after Rs 30 crore cash was found at one of her other apartments in Kolkata.

So far, searches at Arpita Mukherjee's various homes in Kolkata have yielded a record haul of Rs 50 crore in cash, the highest ever for the Enforcement Directorate.

Partha Chatterjee, once close to Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee but now a colossal embarrassment for her, was sacked as a minister and removed from all posts in the Trinamool Congress as evidence of corruption stacked up against him. The former state Education Minister is accused of taking bribes for the recruitment of teachers and staff in state-run schools.    

Officials arrived for fresh searches at an apartment at Kolkata's Chinar Park along with central forces this evening and were seen trying to break open the locks to begin their search.

This was hours after their last raid at an apartment belonging to Arpita Mukherjee, in which they found about Rs 29 crore in cash and five kilograms of gold jewellery.

Enforcement Directorate officials left Arpita Mukherjee's home in the Belgharia area of Kolkata early this morning with 10 trunks of cash after ending an 18-hour raid. Sources say the officials used three note-counting machines to add the cash.

Arpita Mukherjee, 30, is a model, actor and instagrammer associated with Partha Chatterjee since 2018.

Partha Chatterjee and Arpita Mukherjee were arrested on July 23, a day after the probe agency found Rs 21 crore in cash, foreign exchange and gold bars worth Rs 2 crore from the actor's home.

According to sources, she told investigators that Mr Chatterjee used her home as a "mini-bank" and stashed cash regularly in a room that only he used.

Officials said they have found a diary with around 40 pages of notes that could provide crucial leads in the investigation.