The Enforcement Directorate has already attached a large amount of immovable property in the name of the former chairman of the Board of Primary Education and Trinamool MLA, caught in the SSC corruption case. The properties running in the name of his family have also been attached. In such a situation, ED is looking for more properties of Manik. According to ED’s information, till now 61 bank accounts have been frozen and assets worth Rs 7 crore 93 lakh of MLA Manik Bhattacharya and his family have been seized.
The ED alleged that Tet corruption money was diverted through those bank accounts. Also, it is alleged that money has been transferred through shares, mutual funds, fixed deposits. This situation has now come to the notice of the real estate ED running in the name of Manik Bhattacharya and his son Shouvik. ED officials are probing the source of money for the purchase of this property. According to the information of ED, there are two gardens in the name of Manik and his son. Apart from this, Manik’s family has ten acres of land in Moghraikshetra village of Kaliganj police station area of Nadia.
According to ED sources, a bigha of Ambagan was bought in Kaliganj in the name of Manik’s son. That garden was bought for only one and a half lakh rupees. Later Shouvik bought 36 more Chhatka Ambagans in that village. The price of that land dropped to Rs 1 lakh 36 thousand. Manik also owns a 650 sq ft flat in Jadavpur. The Trinamool MLA had taken a loan from an insurance company to buy that flat. Apart from this, Manik has another flat on Central Road in Jadavpur. It is one and a half thousand square feet. That flat was bought for Rs 50 lakh. For this he had taken a loan from the bank. Where did the ‘down payment’ money for these properties come from? ED is probing it.
Earlier on Wednesday, the ED had filed a charge sheet against Manik under the Anti Money Laundering Act in the primary Tate corruption case. The chargesheet names six people, including Manik’s wife and son Tapas Mandal, who are close to Manik. A total of 50 witnesses have been mentioned in the ED’s charge sheet. The ED claimed that Manik’s assets worth Rs 30 crore have been traced so far. Also, it was claimed by the central agency that Rs 2 crore 64 lakh was deposited in the company’s account by Manik’s son.