Who Is Arpita Mukherjee? Close Aide Of Partha Chatterjee In SSC Teacher Recruitment Scam

In relation to the School Service Commission (SSC) recruitment scandal, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) announced on Friday that it has recouped almost Rs 20 crore from Arpita Mukherjee, a close assistant to the late West Bengal education minister Partha Chatterjee. Arpita Mukherjee, a close friend of Shri Partha Chatterjee, lives in the residential property where the ED has seized enormous cash worth roughly Rs 20 crore during searches. The aforementioned sum is thought to be the revenue of the SSC scam.

When counting cash using cash counting machines, the search crew is assisted by bank employees. The purpose and use of a total of more than 20 mobile phones that were also retrieved from Arpita Mukherjee's premises are being determined, according to a statement released by the ED. The Enforcement Directorate reportedly detained Partha Chatterjee on Saturday in Kolkata for his alleged involvement in the teacher recruitment scam.

Who Is Arpita Mukherjee?

Model and actor Arpita Mukherjee referred to as a "close associate" of Partha Chatterjee by the ED, has appeared in a few Bengali, Odia, and Tamil films in supporting parts. Along with well-known actors like Prosenjit Chatterjee in Mama Bhagne and Jeet in Partner, Mukherjee has appeared in Bengali films.

In 2019 and 2020, she served as the spokesperson for Partha Chatterjee's Durga Puja group, the Naktala Udayan Sangha. One of the largest Durga Puja committees in Kolkata is Chatterjee's. It is assumed that Partha Chatterjee and Arpita Mukherjee are related via the Durga Puja committee.

BJP leader Suvendu Adhikari released a picture of Mukherjee and Partha with West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee from a 2019 Durga Puja as soon as word of the raid spread. BJP MLA Suvendu Adhikari wrote in his tweet, “Guilty by Association” - A legal phenomenon used to describe when an individual is guilty of committing a crime through knowing someone else. Just saying."

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Partha Chatterjee, reportedly, used to visit Arpita's residence frequently, although he has distanced himself from the raids, saying that only the responsible parties are answerable to the allegations while the West Bengal ruling Trinamool Congress Party (TMC) has nothing to do with them. The current ED investigation is under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA).