The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Wednesday attached immovable properties worth approximately ₹57.78 crore belonging to a Trinamool Congress MLA and a key middleman as a part of its probe into alleged irregularities in recruitments in state-aided schools.

The attached properties belong to MLA Jiban Krishna Saha from Murshidabad’s Burwan and middleman Prasanna Kumar Roy, as well as his associates.

The latest action took the total value of attachments by the ED in the recruitment scam to ₹698 crore.

The attached properties consist of multiple residential apartments, villas and land parcels located at Rajarhat, New Town, Patharghata, Garagari and other adjoining areas in North 24-Parganas district, as well as Murshidabad and Purba Bardhaman districts.

“These properties were found to have been acquired out of the proceeds of crime generated through illegal appointments of assistant teachers,” the agency said.

The ED had launched the probe based on the FIRs by the CBI that were registered after the Calcutta High Court directives.

The investigation revealed that Roy acted as the main middleman in the scam and — along with his associates — collected huge amounts of cash from undeserving candidates for securing illegal appointments.

“The proceeds of crime, amounting to hundreds of crores of rupees, were laundered through a complicated network of companies, bank accounts, and were ultimately utilised for the acquisition of immovable properties,” the agency said.

According to the ED, the arrested MLA was a key accused in the scam and was actively involved in the collection and handling of proceeds of crime collected from undeserving candidates for securing their appointments to the posts of Group C, D and assistant teachers.

“Investigation established that proceeds of crime were utilised for the acquisition of immovable properties in the name of MLA Saha and his family members, primarily located in Murshidabad and Purba Bardhaman districts,” the agency said.