West Bengal: ED finds ‘money for jobs’ rip-off whereas probing trainer recruitment rip-off

The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has unearthed a ‘cash for jobs scam’ in West Bengal whereas investigating the trainer recruitment rip-off within the State.

As per a report by News18, the central company raided the places of work of a businessman named Ayan Sil between March 19-20 this 12 months. It have to be talked about that Sil performed a major position within the trainer recruitment rip-off because the Director of an organization named ABS Infozone Pvt Ltd.

He was liable for the printing and designing of Optical Mark Recognition (OMR) sheets of fraudulent candidates and manipulated them to make sure their unlawful appointment as academics. While investigating his places of work, ED discovered the digital and paper path of one other high-profile ‘cash for jobs’ rip-off.

ममता दीदी के राज में परिश्रम और प्रयास का महत्व नहीं है बल्कि, यहां ग्रुप D और C की नौकरियों के लिए ₹4-6 लाख तक का रेट तय कर युवाओं के सपनों को छला जा रहा है।

TMC के शासन में “C” का असली अर्थ करप्शन है, जो बंगाल के अंदर आज चरम पर पहुंच चुका है।https://t.co/zjVkg6swVe

— Smriti Z Irani (@smritiirani) June 12, 2023

The accused had collected a whopping ₹200 crores from different candidates to facilitate their appointment in different jobs throughout municipalities within the State of West Bengal. Besides Ayan Shil, the Enforcement Directorate discovered the involvement of personal individuals, public servants and the ruling political dispensation.

The central company knowledgeable that such fraudulent appointments for varied jobs have been made throughout municipalities corresponding to Titagarh, Baranagar, Halisahar, Kanchrapara, New Barackpur, Kamarhati, and Dum Dum amongst others.

The jobs ranged from sweepers to sub-assistant engineers. Interstingly, the Enforcement Directorate additionally discovered the ‘rate card’ that Ayan Shil and his co-accused charged the fraudulent candidates.

Bribes ranged from ₹4-6 lakhs per candidate

News18 reported that for securing the job of a peon, labour, sweeper, mason, dumper operator, sanitary assistant and ambulance attendant, the scamsters charged candidates a whopping ₹4 lakh rupees.

The bribe for getting a job as an assistant cashier, pipeline inspector, and clerk was round ₹5 lakh rupees. And it was round ₹6 lakh for sub-assistant engineers.

In this fashion, 6000 vacancies for 17 Group C and Group D positions throughout 60 municipalities in West Bengal have been stuffed from 2014-2015. The Enforcement Directorate has recovered listing of brokers and fraudulent candidates who accepted and paid the bribes respectively.

While talking concerning the matter, a senior official informed News18, “The kickbacks were received by the chairpersons of respective municipalities and several senior government officers. We have details of the agents who collected the cash and the candidates who paid for jobs.”

Action taken by the Enforcement Directorate

In March this 12 months, the Enforcement Directorate arrested businessman Ayan Shil and filed an affidavit within the Calcutta High Court a month later concerning the ₹200 crore ‘cash for job’ rip-off.

On April 22, a First Information Report (FIR) was registered by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI). ED had requested the central company to intervene because the sufferer in each the ‘teacher recruitment scam’ and ‘cash for job’ rip-off are the identical.

The Enforcement Directorate stated, “It has been noticed that several persons including Ayan Sil, other agents and political persons have obtained the bribe money both in the illegal recruitment of teachers in the education sector as well as for securing various employments in various municipalities.”

“And even the proceeds of crime of Teachers Recruitment Scam and Municipality Recruitment Scam have got intermingled on account of common agents and common beneficiaries,” it additional added.