The Enforcement Directorate early yesterday morning (July 23) arrested Bengal cabinet minister and TMC secretary general Partha Chatterjee and his alleged close associate, actress-model Arpita Mukherjee. Arpita started out in 2004 as a small-time model and nail artist. She soon became a leading lady of Bengali films, and also worked in Oriya cinema.
The ED seized cash amounting to more than Rs. 21 crore, gold worth Rs. 79 lakh, foreign currency amounting to Rs. 54 lakh, 22 mobile phones, and property deeds of eight apartments from her house. The ED was probing a jobs-for-cash scam in the school education department which minister Partha Chatterjee used to head till recently.