Two teams of Enforcement Directorate (ED) probing the multi- crore teachers’ recruitment scam in West Bengal are conducting raids and search operations at two properties owned by the expelled Trinamool Congress leader, Santanu Bandopadhyay since Saturday morning.

The first ED team reached a residence owned by Bandopadhyay’s wife Priyanka Bandopadhyay at Nivedita Park area in Bandel of Hooghly district. Since the house was locked from outside, the central agency sleuths had to break open the lock to enter the residence.

The second ED team reached a guest house owned by Bandopadhyay at Balagarh in Hooghly district. This guest house too was locked from outside; the central agency’s sleuths had to break open the lock also to enter.

Both the ED teams were escorted by central armed forces personnel. Bandopadhyay, a youth leader of Trinamool Congress from Hooghly district, was arrested by the ED on March 11 and a few days after that his expulsion was announced by the party leadership. Bandopadhyay is currently in ED custody.

Bandopadhyay, who started his career as a senior technical support staff in the West Bengal State Electricity Distribution Company Limited (WBSEDCL) and drawing a monthly salary roughly around Rs 35,000, has been identified by the ED as owning assets and property worth several crores of rupees.

He is also the principal nodal officer of Trinamool-controlled Hooghly district Zilla Parishad. After his arrest, the WBSEDCL put him under suspension as per provisions of the power utility’s service rules which states that if an employee is in custody (police or judicial) for 48 hours or more he will be placed under suspension from the time he is taken in custody. ED has already freezed 10 accounts of Bandyopadhyay.

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(This story has not been edited by News18 staff and is published from a syndicated news agency feed)