New Delhi: The Enforcement Directorate (ED) probing the multi-crore financial scam relating to the recruitment irregularities in the West Bengal School Service Commission (WBSSC) is reportedly now looking into the role of another woman, said to be a close aide of arrested Trinamool Congress Secretary General Partha Chatterjee.


On Saturday, the ED arrested Arpita Mukherjee, a close aide of Partha Chatterjee who is currently the state Commerce and Industries Minister. Her arrest from her residence in South Kolkata was officially announced by the ED at 5.14 p.m. on Saturday, about seven hours after the probe agency nabbed the state minister. The agency had seized Rs 21 crore in cash from Arpita's property.


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Who Is Monalisa Das? 


The second woman under the ED's scanner has been identified as Monalisa Das, the head of the department of Bengali at state-run Kazi Nazrul University in Asansol in the Burdwan district.

News agency IANS reported ED sources as saying that ther came up from the statements made in the face of interrogation by Arpita Mukherjee.

It came to the fore that Monalisa Das was appointed directly as the head of the department of Bengali in 2014 when Partha Chatterjee was the state Education Minister.

As per IANS, her appointment had created ripples at that point in time because as the head of the department, Das was directly promoted to the rank of associate professor from her position as assistant professor. People at that time alleged that her close association with the then education minister helped her get the prized posting.

ED sources said that the agency has come across at least 10 flats which are registered in the name of Das and most of these flats are located in Bolpur-Santiniketan in Birbhum district.

"The total value of these flats is highly disproportionate to the declared income of Das," an ED official said, as quoted by IANS.


BJP's National Vice President Dilip Ghosh alleged the same in a tweet, where he wrote: "Professor Monalisa Das has 10 flats in Santiniketan."


He further claimed a Bangladesh connection in the matter.






"Monalisa repeatedly visits Bangladesh and A bag with Bangabandhu's photo was recovered from Arpita's house. Bengal SSC Scam are deep rooted. I won't be surprised if the money of corruption is spent to pay Jihadis or goes to Bangladesh through Hawalas," he added.


Meanwhile, Monalisa Das has so far claimed total ignorance in the entire matter.

"I as a teacher knew Partha Chatterjee, who was then the Education Minister. So in a sense he was my guardian," she said, as per IANS.


A lower court in Kolkata on Saturday remanded the West Bengal Commerce and Industries Minister to two-day interim custody of the Enforcement Directorate.

The court also directed ED to present Chatterjee at a special PMLA court at the end of his remand period.


Chatterjee was hospitalised in the evening after he complained of "uneasiness".


(With Agency Inputs)