Kolkata, Jan 4 (PTI) Enforcement Directorate (ED) sleuths on Thursday collected voice sample of Sujay Krishna Bhadra, one of the arrested accused in the school jobs scam in West Bengal, an official said.
Bhadra, popularly known as ‘Kalighat-er Kaku’ (uncle from Kalighat), is said to be close to the top leaders of the ruling Trinamool Congress and was allegedly a key official in a couple of companies linked to them.
The recording will be sent to the Central Forensic Science Laboratory. Along with the voice samples of Bhadra, the ED will also send the recordings they had collected as evidence while investigating the scam for the purpose of “matching”, the ED official told PTI.
The voice samples would play a crucial role in cracking the case if they match with the pieces of evidence collected during raids and search operations, he said.
The central agency has been trying to collect his voice samples for the past several months but failed because of legal issues and his health conditions.
His voice was recorded at the ESI Hospital at Joka here on Wednesday night after he was taken out from the SSKM Hospital where he has been admitted for multiple health issues.
“The accused’s voice was recorded at night at the ESI Joka Hospital. The samples were collected by our officers in the presence of two independent witnesses,” he said.
About eight ED officers, one forensic expert and one technician were present in the hospital’s soundproof room where Bhadra’s voice was recorded, he said.
“Bhadra was repeatedly asked three questions during the recording. He was also asked to repeat a few words over and over again and then they were recorded by the technician. All the samples will be sent for forensic testing,” he said.
After the recording was over, he underwent another round of medical examinations before he was taken back to the SSKM Hospital around 3.15 AM on Thursday, the official said.
The ED arrested Bhadra in May last year for his alleged involvement in the illegal appointments made in state-run and state-aided schools in West Bengal.
Bhadra had earlier appeared before the CBI a couple of times. The central agency is running a parallel investigation into the recruitment scam.
The ED is probing the money laundering aspect of the scam, in which several education department functionaries and senior TMC leaders including former education minister Partha Chatterjee and his friend were arrested for their alleged involvement. PTI SCH KK NN
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