E-Paper
Cash-for-job-scam: ED collects voice sample of key accused Sujay Krishna Bhadra
The probe agency had found during the investigation that on February 20, 2023, Bhadra had allegedly told a person over the phone to delete all data from the latter’s mobile phone. ED wanted to collect Bhadra’s voice sample to match the recordings
After more than five months of tug-of-war, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Wednesday finally collected the voice sample of Sujaykrishna Bhadra, one of the key accused in the multi-crore cash-for-job scam in West Bengal.
The ED is probing the alleged recruitment scam in the West Bengal School Service Commission (WBSSC). Bhadra was arrested on June 2, 2023.
Bhadra, considered close Trinamool Congress (TMC) MP Abhishek Banerjee, on Wednesday night, was relocated to the Central Government-run ESIC Medical College Hospital from the state government SSKM Hospital where he has been undergoing treatment for the past three months.
The ED, accompanied by the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF), took Bhadra, popularly referred to as ‘Kalighater Kaku’, to Joka ESI Hospital to conduct a voice sampling for their investigation into the recruitment scam case.
“Bhadra was shifted to the ESI hospital in Joka from the state-run SSKM hospital in a 5G ambulance. His voice sample was collected in a soundproof room in the presence of an ENT specialist in the hospital,” said an officer.
The development came with the directive of the Calcutta high court after the single bench of justice Amrita Sinha held a closed-door hearing during the day. The ED’s joint director and a doctor from the ESI hospital were present during the hearing.
The probe agency had found during the investigation that on February 20, 2023, Bhadra had allegedly told a person over the phone to delete all data from the latter’s mobile phone. ED wanted to collect Bhadra’s voice sample to match the recordings.
After his arrest in June, Bhadra had to undergo heart surgery in a private hospital in August for arterial blockage. He was later shifted to the SSKM hospital for further treatment. The ED has been trying to collect his voice sample since July this year with the court’s approval.
On December 8, 2023, the ED reached the SSKM hospital only to find that Bhadra had been shifted to the ICU.
Bhadra in an earlier interview to a television channel had said that he worked in the office of Abhishek Banerjee, nephew of West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee.
“Abhishek Banerjee is my saheb (boss). I work in his office. I have been working there since 2009,” Bhadra had told the media.
Federal agencies have already questioned Abhishek Banerjee in connection with their investigation into the cash-for-jobs scam in which teaching and non-teaching staff were allegedly appointed, in violation of due procedure, in government schools between 2014 and 2021.
Three TMC MLAs, including the former state education minister, have already been arrested in connection with the alleged scam and are now in judicial custody.
In May 2022, Calcutta high court judge Abhijit Gangopadhyay ordered the CBI to probe the appointment of non-teaching staff (Group C and D) and teaching staff by the West Bengal School Service Commission and West Bengal Board of Secondary Education between 2014 and 2021. The appointees allegedly paid bribes in the range of ₹5-15 lakh to get jobs after failing the selection tests. The ED thus began a parallel probe into the matter.
