Teachers’ scam: ED examining 75 bank accounts having links with Kuntal Ghosh

ED which is probing the multi-crore teachers' recruitment irregularities scam in West Bengal, is in the process of examining as many 75 bank accounts.

Kolkata: Enforcement Directorate (ED), which is probing the multi-crore teachers’ recruitment irregularities scam in West Bengal, is in the process of examining as many 75 bank accounts of different individuals where huge amounts of money was transferred by arrested youth Trinamool Congress leader Kuntal Ghosh.

One of these accounts under examinations is linked to that of Tollywood actor Bonny Sengupta aka Anupriyo Sengupta, who was questioned by the ED on Thursday in this connection.

Sengupta admitted that Kuntal Ghosh paid Rs 40 lakhs for his purchase of a luxury vehicle against which the actor performed in several events organised by Ghosh. However, Sengupta claimed that the entire arrangement was driven by trust and there is no paper document or agreement between them on this count. Sengupta has been summoned to ED office at Salt Lake in the northern outskirts of Kolkata again on Friday for another round of questioning.

Some other of these 75 bank accounts under examination are being held by one Soma Chakraborty, owner of two beauty salons in Kolkata, where Ghosh transferred amounts to the tune of Rs 50 lakhs in different phases. In face of ED interrogation, Chakraborty admitted that this huge amount was given to her as loan for extension of infrastructure of the beauty salons owned by her. However, again like Sengupta, she has claimed that there had been no paper agreement with Ghosh on this count.

This phenomenon of transferring money purportedly as loans with the existence of any agreement or paper document has made the doubts among the investigating sleuths stronger that these transfers were actually diversions of the proceeds of the multi- crore teachers’ recruitment irregularities scam.

“We will be examining the transaction details of each of these 75 bank accounts. However, currently our focus is on those accounts where the amount transferred by Ghosh was really massive i.e., Rs 10 lakhs or above. All these money transfers were made between 2017 and 2019, which was the peak period of the teachers’ recruitment irregularity scam,” an ED associate said.

He further said that the accounts and other related details of Novkotha Initiative, a film production outfit floated and owned by Kuntal Ghosh are also being examined by ED sleuths to track his involvement in film financing.