Kolkata/UNI: The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Thursday began fresh search operations at nine places across this metropolis in the alleged teachers recruitment scam in West Bengal government sponsored schools in the state, official sources confirmed.

They said the ED sleuths early on Thursday fanned out in different groups, along with the Central Armed Forces, to a multi-story housing complex at Maniktala in the eastern part of the city and some other places in Burrabazar in central Kolkata, sources confirmed about the ongoing raids by the central probe agency.

Sources said the ED officials raided the two flats, which belonged to two different businessmen near the Bengal Chemicals at Maniktala, in relation to the alleged cash for the jobs of the teachers in the government schools.

It is alleged that hundreds of qualified candidates were deprived of their jobs, and unqualified aspirants were given appointments in lieu of cash in the rupee multi-crore scam.

Former Education minister Partha Chatterjee has been arrested in this connection after ED officials recovered nearly Rs 50 crore in cash from the two flats of an alleged close aide of Chatterjee. Chatterjee was arrested when he was the commerce minister of Mamata Banerjee's government.

Besides Chatterjee, there are many other TMC MLAs and top officials of the education department, including a vice chancellor of the university.

The ED also raided some office premises of businessmen on NS Road in Burrabazar in the same case, which is being probed by the central agencies of the CBI and ED following the judicial orders.