Bengal school job case: Statements of two witnesses crucial for CBI to build strong case

Kolkata (The Uttam Hindu): The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) is focusing heavily on the statements of two witnesses in the multi-crore cash-for-school job case in West Bengal to build a strong case against some influential political figures who were allegedly the biggest beneficiaries of the scam.

Sources said that both these two witnesses, who were named in the charge sheet filed by the CBI in the case at a special court in Kolkata earlier this month, had given crucial statements to the investigating officials about an audio clip recovered by the probe officials from a laptop seized in the case.

In the audio clip, a prime accused in the case, Sujay Krishna Bhadra, was heard making mobile phone conversations with three politically influential personalities in the state regarding school jobs.

Again two of these three influential political beneficiaries, sources added, have already been named as accused in the charge sheets filed by both CBI and Enforcement Directorate (ED), which is conducting a parallel investigation into the money-laundering angle in the school job case.

Both these witnesses were close associates of Bhadra in the company where he was attached as the chief operating officer. One of the witnesses, sources added, had even admitted to the investigating officials of CBI that he used to record conversations of influential individuals with Bhadra as per the latter’s instructions and preserve those conversation clips on a laptop.

CBI had already sent such an audio clip recovered from a laptop for further examination to the Central Forensic Science Laboratory (CFSL). The voice samples of Bhadra, which the CBI officials collected earlier this month, have also been sent to CFSL.

Bhadra is currently out on bail for treatment purposes following an order passed by the Calcutta High Court recently. However, there are severe restrictions on his movements even within the city and there is a complete bar on his meeting with any politicians.

He even had been kept under constant watch by the CBI officials and the Central Armed Forces personnel.

The trial process in the ED-registered case in the alleged school job scam has started at a special court of the Prevention of Money Laundering (PMLA) in Kolkata.