A restaurant owned by former West Bengal Minister Sujit Bose managed to generate more than Rs 1 crore in revenue during the Covid-19 lockdown in 2020, despite being completely closed, as per the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in Kolkata. Bose, a former minister under the Trinamool Congress government, was arrested by the ED in connection with a municipal recruitment scam after extensive questioning. The ED presented details to a special Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) court regarding alleged money-laundering activities linked to Bose’s restaurant.
The ED revealed that the restaurant recorded an income of Rs 1.11 crore during the lockdown period, even though it was shut and had no employees working. Additionally, the ED disclosed that apart from Rs 1.1 crore transferred to the restaurant, another Rs 2.2 crore was moved to Bose’s personal account. Investigators also uncovered various financial transactions involving Bose that lacked legal justification, as per the ED’s submission to the court.
Furthermore, the ED highlighted evidence of around 150 illegal recruitments in the Uttar Dum Dum Municipality, allegedly done based on Bose’s recommendations. The agency sought a 10-day remand for Bose to further question him, pending a court decision. Meanwhile, Bose’s counsel argued for bail, questioning the basis of his client’s arrest, citing the availability of related documents with the investigating officers since 2022-2023 and the absence of Bose’s name in the previous charge sheet.
Bose, a former three-time Trinamool Congress legislator from Bidhannagar assembly constituency, faced defeat in the recent elections. The ED’s attention was drawn to the municipal job case during raids at the residence of Trinamool Congress-linked promoter Ayan Shil in connection with a separate money laundering case. Subsequently, the Central Bureau of Investigation initiated a parallel investigation into the job scam following a Calcutta High Court directive. As the central agencies delved deeper, the involvement of several politically influential figures, including state ministers and ruling party members, emerged.
