The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has sent a communique to state-run S.S.K.M. Medical College & Hospital asking for proper arrangements to conduct a voice sample test of Sujay Krishna Bhadra, a prime accused in the cash-for-school job case in West Bengal.
Bhadra has been admitted there for the last two months since his bypass surgery in August this year. Recently, the ED got fresh permission from a special court of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) to conduct the voice sample test of Bhadra.
The court has also directed Bhadra to extend full cooperation to the ED sleuths in the matter.
Sources said that the central agency sleuths have recently procured the latest medical reports of Bhadra from S.S.K.M. authorities and consulted the doctors associated with the medical team of a central hospital.
After the doctors of the central hospital, sources said, confirmed that Bhadra was in a medically perfect condition to undergo the medical test, the ED sleuths have started the action on this count to conduct the same.
It is learnt that as per procedure, any voice sampling test requires a sound-proof glass room and the test has to be conducted in presence of a forensic expert. Now, ED has communicated to S.S.K.M. authorities to make the necessary infrastructure arrangements to conduct the test.
To recall, the special court had first given permission to the ED to conduct the voice-sample test of Bhadra in July, when the central agency presented at the court an audio clip where Bhadra was reportedly giving instruction to someone to erase data from his mobile number.
However, the voice sampling could not be done then as Bhadra got admitted to hospital complaining of chest ailments following which his bypass surgery was done. The voice sample test has become imperative now following the high court’s direction to wind up the investigation process in the school job case by December 31.
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