Kolkata, Jul 26, 2024, IANS

Kolkata, July 26 (IANS) The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has identified 1,814 illegal recruitments in 15 different municipalities in West Bengal, sources have said. All these recruitments were done since 2014 through an outsourced agency ABS Infozon Private Limited, owned by private promoter Ayan Sil, who is already in judicial custody in connection with the multi-crore cash-for-school job case. Sources said that a total of 17 municipalities in the state were under the ambit of CBI investigation, and the Central agency sleuths have identified illegal recruitments in 15 urban civic bodies. The two exceptions where the CBI had not been able to track a single case of illegal recruitment are Panihati and Taki municipalities both in North 24 Parganas district. CBI, sources said, recently submitted details on this count at a special court in Kolkata. Of the 15 municipalities, sources added, the number of irregular recruitments had been maximum at South Dum Dum Municipality at 329. The other municipalities where the numbers of illegal recruitments had been high include Kamarahati, Baranagar and Titagarh, all of which are in North 24 Parganas district. Investigation revealed that recruitments against cash were done in several municipalities for a variety of posts which included medical officers, ward masters, clerks, drivers, helpers and cleaning assistants, among others. Recently, CBI in the course of its investigation has tracked at least 25 bank accounts opened in the name of third parties which were used for inward and outward remissions of the ill-gotten proceeds of the case. A close examination of these bank accounts revealed that multiple high-value inward remissions, each amounting to a few lakhs, were credited to these accounts and were also debited within hours of deposit. Recently, the CBI counsel informed the special court that the Central agency officials had raided 42 places while probing the municipalities’ recruitment case, from where they had seized several crucial documents.