Kolkata: The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Tuesday arrested Trinamool Congress legislator Manik Bhattacharya in connection with the multi-crore WBSSC recruitment scam.
ED sources said that Bhattacharya was summoned to the agency office at Salt Lake on the northern outskirts of Kolkata on Monday afternoon.
He was questioned throughout the night and finally on Tuesday morning the ED sleuths arrested him.
Bhattacharya is the former president of the West Bengal Board of Primary Education (WBBPE).
In the first charge sheet that was presented at a special court last month, the ED named Manik Bhattacharya and also mentioned some details on how he played a key role in the recruitment irregularities scam.
The agency also mentioned in the charge sheet some telephonic communication between Bhattacharya and the former West Bengal education minister, Partha Chatterjee that clearly hinted towards the former WBBPE president’s involvement in the scam.
Partha Chatterjee is already in judicial custody in the case.
Bhattacharya will be presented at a special court of ED on Tuesday only.
The Supreme Court provided a shield to Manik Bhattacharya from arrest by the CBI till October 10. However, there was no such restriction on the ED from taking similar steps.
The ED exercised that advantage and that too hours after the apex court-provided shield for Bhattacharya expired.