CBI searches residences of West Bengal minister Firhad Hakim, Trinamool MLA Madan Mitra

The CBI conducted searches at the residences of senior West Bengal minister Firhad Hakim and TMC MLA Madan Mitra in Kolkata on Sunday morning in connection with its investigation into the alleged irregularities in recruitments made by the civic bodies in the state, officials said.

Hakim, the minister of urban development and municipal affairs, is also the mayor of Kolkata. He is a senior leader of the TMC and has significant sway in the party's organisation.

A team of CBI officers reached his residence in south Kolkata's Chetla area along with a large contingent of central forces, officials said.

"Two CBI officers are questioning him," a senior official told PTI.

As the searches began, Hakim's supporters gathered outside his house, and began a protest.

A CBI team also searched the residence of Mitra, a former minister and the MLA of Kamarhati in North 24 Parganas district, in the Bhabanipur area, around 3 km from Hakim's residence in Chetla.

Both Hakim and Mitra were arrested by the CBI in 2021 in the Narada sting operation case. Mitra was also arrested by the CBI in 2014 in the Saradha chit fund scam.

On Thursday, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) searched multiple locations, including the residence of Food and Supplies Minister Rathin Ghosh, in connection with the recruitment case.

It is alleged by the central investigating agencies that around 1,500 people were illegally recruited by different civic bodies in the state, between 2014 and 2018, against monetary considerations.