KOLKATA: West Bengal Industries and Commerce Minister Partha Chatterjee was arrested hours after Rs 20 crore was recovered from the house of his close aide. The minister was arrested by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in connection with the SSC recruitment scam.

The Trinamool leader was quizzed for over 24 hours following the recovery of the cash. During the questioning, Chatterjee complained of uneasiness and was examined by the doctors. After ensuring that his health was stable, the ED resumed interrogation. However, the minister did not cooperate with the probe team. Following which, he was arrested. According to sources, the ED will seek his custody before the court to obtain further details of the scam.

Last day, the ED had recovered Rs 20 crore and more than 20 mobile phones from the house of Arpita Mukherjee, an associate of Chatterjee. “The said amount is suspected to be proceeds of crime of the said SSC scam," the investigation agency said in a statement. In addition to ED, the case is being investigated by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) as well. The CBI is probing into the irregularities in the recruitment.

Meantime, the ruling Trinamool Congress (TMC) alleged that the raids are a ploy by the BJP government to harass its political opponents.