New Delhi, Jan 21 (PTI) The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has provisionally attached immovable properties worth about Rs 57.78 crore of TMC MLA Jiban Krishna Saha and others in connection with the alleged West Bengal Central School Service Commission (SSC) assistant teacher recruitment scam for Classes 9 to 12, officials said on Wednesday.

The attached assets also include properties linked to alleged middleman Prasanna Kumar Roy and his associates, the federal agency said in a statement.

According to the ED, the properties comprise multiple residential apartments, villas and land parcels located in Rajarhat, New Town, Patharghata, Garagari and other adjoining areas of North 24 Parganas district, besides Murshidabad and Purba Bardhaman districts and certain HIDCO-developed areas of Kolkata.

The agency said the assets were acquired from the proceeds of crime generated through illegal appointments of assistant teachers.

The money-laundering probe was launched on the basis of FIRs registered by the CBI on the Calcutta High Court's directions. The case pertains to "large-scale manipulation" in the recruitment process conducted by the SSC, including tampering with OMR sheets and personality-test scores, and making appointments after the expiry of panels in exchange for illegal gratification.

The ED probe has revealed that Roy acted as the main middleman in the alleged scam and, along with his associates, collected huge amounts of cash from undeserving candidates for securing illegal appointments. The illicit money was allegedly laundered through a complex network of companies, limited liability partnerships (LLPs) and bank accounts, and used to acquire immovable properties.

The agency has further alleged that Saha, a key accused in the case, was actively involved in the collection and handling of the proceeds of crime for illegal appointments to Group-C, Group-D and assistant-teacher posts.

The Trinamool Congress (TMC) leader was arrested by the ED on August 25, 2025, after he allegedly attempted to flee during searches at his Murshidabad residence.

Properties worth about Rs 3.01 crore, acquired in the name of Saha and his family members in Murshidabad and Purba Bardhaman, were found to have been purchased using laundered funds, the ED said.

The probe has also found that several properties were acquired in the name of Nilima Mangal, a close associate and the former wife of Roy, with funds allegedly sourced from the illegal recruitment scam.

The ED had earlier attached properties worth Rs 247.2 crore in the SSC Group C and D staff-recruitment "scam", Rs 238.78 crore in the SSC assistant-teacher (Classes 9 to 12) "scam" and around Rs 154 crore in the primary teachers-recruitment "scam". With the latest action, the total value of assets attached by the agency in recruitment-related "scams" in West Bengal has reached about Rs 698 crore.

In April 2025, the Supreme Court quashed the appointments of more than 25,000 teachers and non-teaching staff, holding that the entire recruitment process was vitiated and tainted. PTI MHS NES RC

Bengal teacher-recruitment scam: ED attaches Rs57.78 crore assets linked to alleged money laundering and middleman network. Provisional attachment of immovable properties worth about Rs 57.78 crore under anti money laundering provisions, held in the names of a political figure, an alleged middleman and associates, alleged to be proceeds of crime from illegal assistant teacher appointments. The probe, based on FIRs, alleges tampering in recruitment processes, collection of illegal gratification, laundering via companies, LLPs and bank accounts, and subsequent acquisition of real estate; it records a key arrest and situates this action among prior substantial attachments in related recruitment investigations.