ED stumbles upon ‘cash-for-job’ scam in West Bengal with complete rate card-Rs 4 lakh for sweeper, Rs 5 lakh for clerk

Enforcement Directorate (ED) has exposed a cash-for-jobs racket in West Bengal’s municipalities and municipal corporations.

The agency, while probing a teacher recruitment scam, stumbled upon evidence of another scam involving group D and group C positions.

According to the ED’s report, candidates paid hefty sums ranging from Rs 4 lakh to Rs 6 lakh to secure positions such as labourers, clerks, teachers, engineers, and more.

The probe revealed that since 2014-15, approximately 6,000 vacancies across 17 positions in 60 civic bodies were filled through this corrupt practice.

Municipalities including Kanchrapara, New Barrackpore, Kamarhati, Titagarh, Baranagar, Halisahar, South Dum Dum, and North Dum Dum were implicated in the scam.

During the raids, the investigators seized crucial evidence, including lists of agents involved in collecting money and records of candidates who paid substantial bribes.

These records contain detailed profiles of the candidates along with the specific amounts they paid for securing particular positions.

The revelation of this cash-for-jobs scam has raised concerns about corruption and malpractice in the recruitment processes of municipal services in West Bengal.

According to a senior ED official, around 6,000 vacancies across various positions were filled by taking bribes and manipulating the recruitment process.

The ED has obtained evidence indicating that the kickbacks were received by chairpersons of the respective municipalities and several senior government officials.

They have also identified agents involved in collecting the illicit funds and the candidates who paid for their positions. The examination process is ongoing, and it appears that the scam involved multiple civic bodies and an estimated amount of Rs 200 crore.

In response to the raids and investigations, Trinamool Congress leaders have alleged that these actions are politically motivated, representing the BJP’s vendetta against their party. They called for transparency and demanded that any evidence against politicians and officers be made public.

The ED’s chance discovery of the cash-for-jobs scam during the investigation of the teacher recruitment fraud highlights the pervasive nature of corruption within West Bengal’s civic bodies.

The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has revealed further details about the cash-for-jobs scam in West Bengal’s municipalities, as part of the ongoing investigation.

According to the ED, Ayan Sil, the director of ABS Infozone Pvt Ltd, and other high-ranking officials, including public servants and political leaders, conspired together to orchestrate the illegal appointments.

The ED has found evidence indicating that an estimated amount of Rs 200 crore was collected from candidates in exchange for providing them with illegal appointments in various municipalities.

The investigation has highlighted the intermingling of proceeds from both the Teachers Recruitment Scam and the Municipality Recruitment Scam, as common agents and beneficiaries were involved in both schemes.

The ED has emphasized the involvement of political leaders in this new scam.

Ayan Sil, along with other agents and political figures, obtained bribes related to the illegal recruitment of teachers and various other positions in municipalities, ED investigation revealed.

Sil, who was responsible for the printing, designing, and evaluation of OMR sheets, manipulated the process to facilitate the fraudulent appointments.

The ED has requested the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) to file an FIR regarding the latest scam, noting that the victims in both cases are the general public.

The illegal appointments span across multiple municipalities, including Kanchrapara, New Barrackpore, Kamarhati, Titagarh, Baranagar, Halisahar, South Dum Dum, Dum Dum, Taki, and others. Positions affected range from mazdoors, sweepers, clerks, peons, and ambulance attendants to pump operators, helpers, sanitary assistants, drivers, and assistant mistries.

These developments further expose the extent of corruption within West Bengal’s municipalities and underline the need for thorough investigations and appropriate legal actions to bring the culprits to justice.

Last year, in relation to the teacher recruitment scam, Partha Chatterjee, the former education minister of West Bengal, was arrested. Subsequently, during the investigation conducted by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) and the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), several co-accused were also apprehended.

Numerous Optical Mark Recognition (OMR) sheets were confiscated during the operation.

These sheets were allegedly tampered with by the racketeers, who manipulated the system by altering or changing the answer options of successful candidates.

They also mixed groups of papers, resulting in the disqualification of deserving candidates. Such manipulations undermined the fairness and integrity of the recruitment process.

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