Partha Chatterjee, the former Education Minister of West Bengal, has been arrested by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) in connection with the primary school recruitment scam. The arrest took place on Tuesday after Chatterjee was presented in a special CBI court. The agency had requested his arrest in the case, and the court granted the request.

Approximately two and a half years ago, on July 22, 2022, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) raided Chatterjee’s residence in Naktala, South Kolkata, in connection with the recruitment scam. Following extensive searches and interrogations, Chatterjee was arrested. The ED also conducted raids at the Tollygunge and Belgharia flats of Arpita Mukherjee, a close associate of Chatterjee. From Arpita’s Tollygunge flat, the ED recovered ₹21.9 crores in cash, along with a large amount of foreign currency and gold jewelry.

On July 23, both Partha Chatterjee and Arpita Mukherjee were arrested by the ED on charges of illegal financial transactions related to the recruitment scam. Just a few days later, on July 27, 2022, the ED raided two more of Arpita’s flats in Belgharia’s ‘Club Town Heights’ complex, recovering an additional ₹27.9 crores in cash and valuable jewelry. According to the ED, a total of ₹49.8 crores in cash and ₹5.08 crores worth of gold jewelry were seized from Arpita’s properties, along with seven foreign currencies.

The ED claimed that assets worth at least ₹60 crores, including cash, gold, and real estate, were confiscated during the investigation. Both Partha Chatterjee and Arpita Mukherjee were previously arrested by the CBI in connection with the School Service Commission (SSC) recruitment scam. Now, Chatterjee has been arrested once again, this time in relation to the primary school recruitment case.