ED arrests TMC leader and ex-minister Sujit Bose in municipal recruitment scam

According to the Enforcement Directorate (ED), Bose had allegedly recommended around 150 candidates for various posts under the South Dum Dum Municipality in exchange for monetary benefits.

In Short

• Bose allegedly recommended 150 candidates for municipal jobs for money
• ED traced flats and large cash deposits linked to Bose as crime proceeds
• In 2025, ED conducted raids recovering documents, Rs 45 lakh cash

The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Monday arrested former West Bengal minister Sujit Bose in connection with the alleged municipality recruitment scam. Bose is expected to be produced before a Special Court on Tuesday.

According to ED sources, Bose allegedly recommended around 150 candidates for various posts under the South Dum Dum Municipality in exchange for monetary benefits. The agency claimed it had traced proceeds of crime in the form of flats allegedly acquired by Bose in return for facilitating municipal jobs for several individuals. Investigators also alleged that large cash deposits were found in bank accounts linked to him.

The arrest came hours after the former minister, who lost his Bidhannagar seat in the 2026 Assembly polls, appeared before the ED for questioning in connection with the alleged scam. Bose reached the ED office at the CGO Complex in Salt Lake at around 10.30 am, accompanied by his son, Samudra Bose.

BOSE SKIPPED PREVIOUS SUMMONS

This was not the first time the central agency had summoned Bose in connection with its probe into alleged recruitment irregularities at the South Dum Dum Municipality and other civic bodies between 2014 and 2018.

According to sources, Bose received multiple ED notices during the West Bengal Assembly election campaign, including one on April 6, the day nomination papers were filed.

He had earlier approached the Calcutta High Court seeking exemption from appearing before the ED, citing his involvement in election campaigning. Following the completion of elections, Bose appeared before ED officials at the CGO Complex on May 1.

Following an FIR registered by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on the directions of the Calcutta High Court, the ED conducted raids on two separate occasions – January 2024 and October 2025.

The ED conducted raids at 13 locations on October 10, 2025, including Bose’s office, during which investigators allegedly recovered incriminating documents and seized Rs 45 lakh in cash.

HOW THE SCAM WAS UNEARTHED

The case relates to recruitment irregularities in various municipalities across West Bengal and emerged from the ED’s investigation into the Primary Teachers Recruitment Scam.

During the 2023 probe, the ED carried out searches at multiple premises linked to TMC aide Ayan Sil and others, recovering incriminating documents and digital evidence. The agency’s scrutiny of these materials suggested that the alleged scam was not limited to teacher recruitment but also extended to irregularities in several municipal appointments, including in South Dum Dum and other civic bodies.

The recruitment pertained to posts such as labourers, sweepers, clerks, peons, ambulance attendants, assistant mistries, pump operators, helpers, sanitary assistants and drivers.

The ED further alleged that contracts related to various municipal bodies were awarded to a single company, M/s ABS Infozon Pvt Ltd, where Ayan Sil was a director.

Investigators also claimed that Sil, in conspiracy with public servants, political leaders and other private individuals, facilitated the illegal appointment of unmeritorious candidates in exchange for money.

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