Kolkata, Jan 7 (IANS) The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), in its final chargesheet on the multi-crore municipalities’ job case in West Bengal, has provided details on how optical mark recognition (OMR) sheets used in the written examination for such recruitment were manipulated.

The central investigating agency submitted its final chargesheet in the matter at a special court in Kolkata last week.

In the chargesheet, the investigating officials provided details on how blank OMR sheets submitted by ineligible candidates paying money for jobs were filled up at a later stage, ensuring qualifying marks for such candidates, sources said.

In the chargesheet, sources added, the investigating officials identified a corporate entity, ABS Infozone Private Limited, owned by a middleman in the municipality’s job case, Ayan Shil, as playing the main role in the manipulation of the IMR sheets.

In many cases, the municipal authorities accused in the matter were unable to furnish the investigation officers with documents establishing the official handover of the OMR sheets from the Shil-owned entities to the municipal authorities concerned.

There had also been cases where the secured number of such ineligible candidates was more than the marks carried by the number of questions that they attempted. There had also been instances of OMR sheets that did not have the signatures of the candidates appearing for the written examination.

The inference drawn by the CBI regarding the OMR sheet manipulations, which was detailed in the final chargesheet, was drawn based on the seizure of crucial documents following raids and search operations at various places under the jurisdictions of the eight municipalities where the alleged recruitment irregularities occurred.

In the final chargesheet, the name of ABS Infozone Private Limited was included.

The officials of the Enforcement Directorate (ED) first secured information about the municipalities while conducting raids and raid operations at Shil’s residence a couple of years ago in connection with the multi-crore cash-for-school job case in West Bengal.

Later, CBI began an investigation into the matter following an order from the Calcutta High Court, and Shil was arrested.

The CBI and ED sleuths, who conducted parallel probes into the municipalities and school job cases, traced unauthorised property to the tune of over Rs 100 crore owned by Shil.

The ED, in October last year, informed that their investigating officials were tracking the involvement of shell companies in diverting the proceeds of crime.

According to sources, the ED recently received information about several companies involved in the municipalities’ recruitment irregularities case. Based on that information, they raided various places, including Beliaghata in north Kolkata, in October.

–IANS

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