Arrested Trinamul Congress MLA Jiban Krishna Saha had collected several crores of rupees from candidates appearing for selection tests for jobs in government-aided schools and transferred a part of the amount to some co-accused through agents, the CBI said in court on Friday.
"Several documents seized from the house of the accused point at monetary transactions with candidates seeking jobs. He had even tried to tamper with evidence by throwing his mobile phones into a pond," a lawyer representing the central investigating agency told the special CBI court in Alipore.
The CBI had arrested Saha, the Trinamul Congress MLA from Burwan in Murshidabad, on Monday after a 36-hour search of his house in Murshidabad.
Two mobile phones, which Saha had allegedly thrown into a pond adjoining his house when the sleuths arrived, were recovered before the MLA was arrested.
Contesting the CBI’s claim, Saha’s lawyer said he had thrown the two phones into the pond out of frustration after realising that he would not be able to make video-calls to his daughter who is studying in Siliguri.
“Every afternoon Saha would make a video-call to his daughter. After the officers stepped in, the mobile phones were seized,” the lawyer told the court. “He was miffed when the CBI denied him permission to make a video-call to his daughter. He then threw the phones into the pond in anger.”
CBI said several incriminating materials, including documents containing a list of candidates and the amount received from them, were seized from Saha’s house.
After hearing the submission of both sides, the court remanded Saha in CBI custody till April 25.