Massive Property Seizure Unveiled in Bengal Recruitment Scam

The Enforcement Directorate has seized assets worth Rs 163.20 crore from Prasanna Kumar Roy and associates over a Bengal staff recruitment scam. Properties include hotels and numerous land parcels across the state. Further investigations involve thousands of illegal appointments, exacerbating the ongoing recruitment scandals in West Bengal.

In a major development, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in Kolkata has provisionally attached properties valued at over Rs 163.20 crore linked to Prasanna Kumar Roy, his wife Kajal Soni Roy, and their enterprise, Shree Durga Dealcom Private Limited. This move is part of the investigation into the West Bengal staff recruitment scam.

The suspected illegal activities involve assets including five hotels and resorts—Chalankita Resort in Howrah, Royal Bengal Resort in Sundarbans, Hotel Mili in Digha, Hotel Murti in Jalpaiguri, and Bamboo Village Resort in Alipurduar—alongside numerous land parcels and flats held by Roy and his company.

Initiated following two FIRs filed by the CBI, the ED's investigation aims to unravel a criminal conspiracy involving unauthorized appointments by the officials of WBCSSC, which deprived deserving candidates of job opportunities. Previous assets attached in a related teacher recruitment scam total Rs 230.6 crore, underscoring widespread corruption across multiple recruitment processes in West Bengal.

(With inputs from agencies.)