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ED arrests TMC leader and former Bengal minister Sujit Bose in alleged municipal recruitment scam
This is the first major arrest of a TMC leader after the Suvendu Adhikari-led Bharatiya Janata Party government assumed office in the state on Saturday.
The Enforcement Directorate on Monday arrested former West Bengal minister and Trinamool Congress (TMC) leader Sujit Bose in a money laundering case linked to an alleged municipality recruitment scam in the state, officials said.
This is the first major arrest of a TMC leader after the Suvendu Adhikari-led Bharatiya Janata Party government assumed office in the state on Saturday.
TMC leader Sujit Bose arrested
The central agency arrested the 63-year-old under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) after questioning him for several hours at its CGO Complex office in Salt Lake in Kolkata, news agency PTI reported.
Officials alleged that his replies during questioning were "evasive" and at times "inconsistent", following which he was taken into custody.
He is expected to be produced before a special PMLA court in Kolkata on Tuesday. The ED will seek his custody for further questioning, officials added.
The former fire services department minister arrived at the ED office at around 10.30 am along with his son, Samudra Bose.
According to the latest reports, both were still inside the CGO Complex, facing questioning by the agency, more than 11 hours after their arrival.
After reports of his arrest surfaced, Bose's lawyer, advocate Amalesh Roy, told ANI, “I do not officially know if he has been arrested... The recording is still going on... They have not intimated us till now, we were sitting in the lobby... I can't say anything.”
What’s the case against Bose?
Bose was questioned over alleged irregularities in recruitment at the Dakshin Dum Dum municipality, where he earlier served as vice chairman. Investigators believe the municipality was one of the key centres of the alleged civic body recruitment scam in the state, ED sources told PTI.
The probe relates to alleged irregularities in the hiring of labourers, sweepers, clerks, peons, ambulance attendants, pump operators, helpers, sanitary assistants and drivers at several municipalities across West Bengal, including South Dum Dum.
Investigators claimed Bose is suspected of directly helping around 150 people secure jobs in different categories at the municipality by recommending their appointments in return for financial gains.
The agency further claimed it had identified "proceeds of crime" in the form of flats allegedly received in exchange for municipality jobs. Officials also said cash deposits linked to bank accounts allegedly controlled by Bose had been traced.
A three-time MLA from Bidhannagar, Bose lost the recent Assembly elections to BJP candidate Sharadwat Mukherjee by a margin of more than 37,000 votes.
The ED had earlier raided the former minister's premises in October 2025.
With inputs from agencies
