A team of the Enforcement Directorate (ED) conducted searches at the residence of West Bengal minister Chandranath Sinha in Bolpur in Birbhum district on Friday in connection with its investigation into the alleged school recruitment scam, officials said.

Accompanied by a huge contingent of central forces, the ED team reached the residence of Sinha, who holds the MSME and Textiles portfolios, in the morning and began the search, they said.

"The search is in connection with the investigation of the alleged irregularities in the school recruitment scam. The minister is not present at his residence, we are talking to his family," an officer said.

Sinha was at his ancestral house in Murarai, around 90 km away, at that time.

While leaving for Bolpur, he told reporters he would cooperate with the investigators.

"I did not do any wrong. Unless I reach there and talk to them I will not be able to tell what is happening. I will cooperate with them in every possible way," he said.

Sinha was earlier summoned by the CBI in the cattle and coal smuggling cases.

Meanwhile, the ED was also conducting simultaneous searches at the residences of a few businessmen in different parts of Kolkata, including Lake Town, Chetla, Ballygunge and Birati, in connection with the alleged recruitment scam, officials said.

"They were suspected to be helping in transferring funds illegally from India to other countries. We are talking to them, and looking into some documents," the officer said.

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