The Enforcement Directorate (ED) officers who went to minister Partha Chatterjee’s home on Friday were packing their bags and about to leave after a near-12-hour search and interrogation when one of their colleagues called to inform them about the “huge cash” allegedly found in Arpita Mukherjee’s flat.
The colleague had gone to Mukherjee’s apartment after her name had cropped up in Chatterjee’s house.
The “cash” changed the course of action. The team that was planning to leave, settled down once again for further questioning that led to the minister’s arrest a few hours later.
Sources said the central agency team was “not expecting” so much cash in Mukherjee’s flat and had not gone with counting machines. Once the officers stumbled on the money they requested some nationalised banks in the neighbourhood for assistance.
An insider said Chatterjee was mostly sitting in a corner of his bedroom while the ED officers, probing the case dealing with the alleged irregularities in recruitment of teachers and other staff for government-aided schools, were busy searching drawers and cupboards in the house.
Sources in the agency said they questioned the minister as and when they got a document. “He handed over the keys to the two cupboards in his bedroom and sat quietly. He replied to whatever was asked,” said an officer.
The ED found several deeds — 12 of them belonging to Mukherjee, an officer said.
As soon as the purported deeds in Mukherjee’s name emerged, a team left for her apartment near Tollygunge in the afternoon. The alert about the cash haul came hours later.
A few other teams also left to search other locations whose details were found in purported deeds at Chatterjee’s residence.
Mukherjee had allegedly failed to explain the source of her income and the cash found in her flat before she was arrested.
Chatterjee’s lawyer said: “Only photocopies of the property deeds were found in Chatterjee’s house, which did not bear his name. How can my client be arrested on the basis of these documents?”