The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has called for closer coordination with other central agencies such as the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) and the Income Tax department in handling cases related to financial scams in West Bengal.
The closer coordination is related to exchange of information, coordinated preparation and planning, especially in those cases where multiple agencies are conducting parallel probes.
Sources said that ED Director Sanjay Kumar Mishra, who is Kolkata now, on Monday held meetings with the agency’s special director in Kolkata as well as other top officers of different ED teams probing the financial aspects of cases such as the teacher recruitment, cattle smuggling and coal smuggling cases, as well the legal brains arguing such cases in the courts.
The sources added that during the meetings, the issue of coordination with other central agencies was discussed since in all these cases, the CBI and the ED are conducting parallel probes.
While the CBI is probing the criminal conspiracy aspect in these cases, the ED is exploring the money laundering angles. Mishra also reviewed the progress of investigation in these cases, especially the one related to teacher recruitment.
Mishra reportedly inquired about the documents and evidence collected by the central agency in such cases and also how the legal brains of the agency are planning to take forward their arguments.
Mishra is scheduled to stay in Kolkata for a couple of days. There is a possibility that he might also personally question Sujay Krishna Bhadra a.k.a. ‘Kalighater Kaku’ (uncle of Kalighat), the latest to be arrested by the ED in connection with the alleged teacher recruitment scam.
On Thursday night, Bhadra was arrested by the ED after over 12 hours of questioning. In his remand letter, the agency has claimed that the basic planning for the multi- crore recruitment case was done at the office of the West Bengal Board of Primary Education, which involved Trinamool legislator and former WBBPE President Manik Bhattacharya and Bhadra.
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