ED issues statement: Minister Sujit's office raided, 45 lakhs cash seized in municipal corruption case

The Enforcement Directorate (ED) conducted prolonged raids across 13 locations on October 10, including the office and restaurant of state Fire Minister Sujit Basu in Kolkata. The marathon operation, kicking off amid the fading echoes of Puja celebrations, unearthed a trove of incriminating evidence: stacks of property documents and a whopping Rs 45 lakh in unaccounted cash. This probe, simmering for months, has already ensnared key figures like Ayan Sil, whose interrogations are peeling back layers of a web allegedly riddled with bribes in municipal job allotments—leaving the public seething over how public service turned into a lucrative racket.

The ED's official statement laid bare the haul without naming sources, fueling speculation about whose safes or shelves hid the scam money. Long under scrutiny, the case exposes systemic rot in local governance, where recruitment processes meant to uplift communities devolved into a pay-to-play scheme, with insiders allegedly pocketing lakhs for fabricated credentials and backdoor entries. As ED sleuths sift through the seized papers, whispers of deeper ties to high places grow louder, turning this into more than just a financial probe—it's a litmus test for accountability in a state where elections loom large.

Minister Sujit Bose, brushed off the raids as pre-election dirty tricks, insisting past sweeps and vowing that "people are my certificate." He decried as a blatant political hit job, denying any wrongdoing and challenging accusers to cough up proof. Yet, with the ED closing in and deepens investigation of the municipal recruitment corruption case, Sujit Bose's defiance rings hollow against the cold hard cash now in federal custody, raising tough questions about who else might be sweating under the agency's glare in this unfolding saga of corruption.