Arrested businessman Ayan Sil had collected around Rs 45 crore from close to 1,000 candidates appearing for recruitment tests in state-aided schools, the Enforcement Directorate told Bankshall Court on Saturday.
Sil’s company, ABS Infozon, had got the contract to evaluate and put barcodes on OMR sheets used to conduct tests by the school service commission (SSC) and the state government for posts in schools and municipalities. Sil used the opportunity to allegedly collect money against the promise of a secured government job from candidates, the ED said.
Sil was arrested from his Salt Lake residence on March 20 following a 36-hour-long search operation after it emerged he was a close aide of arrested Trinamul leader Shantanu Banerjee. The ED recovered a huge number of OMR sheets from Sil’s house.
On Saturday, the ED’s lawyer told the court Sil would tamper with answer sheets of deserving candidates by filling up a blank space in addition to the one meant for the correct answer. This ensured that deserving candidates ended up securing lower marks compared to the ones from whom he allegedly collected money.
“Sil handed over Rs 26 crore to one of the agents who happens to be an influential person to ensure his candidates secured government jobs,” the lawyer told the court.
The ED said Sil had amassed huge property using the proceeds of the crime. He owned eight apartments, five cars, a petrol pump and a hotel, the agency said it had learnt.
The ED, which is probing the money trail in the alleged irregularities in recruitment in state-aided schools, said it had traced over 40 bank accounts and transactions worth around Rs 8 crores from them.
Sil’s lawyers contested saying he was a businessman and while his company was responsible for evaluating OMR sheets, he was in no way connected with appointments.
They said since the company had been running for some time, some money would be traced to the bank accounts. They said the ED had been unable to find anything new since Sil’s last court appearance and that he be granted bail.
The judge remanded Sil in judicial custody till April 11 and allowed ED officers to question him in jail.