Who is Arpita Mukherjee, the former actress from whom Indian investigators retrieve millions of dollars in cash?

The rise has been meteoric for Arpita Mukherjee, a little-known performer who has largely played supporting roles in a few Indian movies throughout her career. After being detained by the Enforcement Directorate last Friday in Kolkata, Mukherjee has been in the headlines for the past week (ED). Her opulent south Kolkata residence was raided last week, and the ED confiscated Rs 280 million (about 3.5 million USD) from there, which was thought to be the profits of kickbacks in the West Bengal School Service Commission (WBSSC) recruitment scandal. Partha Chatterjee, a state minister and leader of the Trinamool Congress party, is a co-accused in the case, and Mukherjee is known to be good friends with him.

The funds purportedly date back to Chatterjee's stint in charge of the education portfolio. Currently, Chatterjee is in charge of industry and commerce. The ED has so far seized money, jewellery, and watches totaling USD 6.2 million.

Who is Arpita Mukherjee and what's her background 

According to rumours in her community, Arpita Mukherjee has seen a meteoric ascent recently. She grew up primarily in the middle-class neighbourhood of Belgharia in North 24 Parganas. After moving to Kolkata's luxury Tollywood neighbourhood, she slept in an apartment at Diamond City, a luxurious highrise apartment building in the city's south.

Arpita describes herself as an actor and model on her social media pages. After a few years of hardship, Arpita began her career as a model in 2004. In 2010, she was cast in a small role in the Bengali movie "Mama Bhagne," which starred Bengali superstar Prasenjit Chatterjee. The year after, she appeared in the movie "Bangla Bachao" alongside Prasenjit Chatterjee, Paoli Dam, and others.

I produced three movies with her, but I haven't stayed in touch with her. Anup Sengupta, a film producer and director, told The Print that he was still hearing about her twelve years later and that it was even in the news. According to her mother Minati, who resides in Belgharia at the family house, Arpita has also appeared in a few Tamil and Oriya films. The Central Government employee who died many years ago was Arpita's father. Her married older sister is related to her.

Association with Partha Chatterjee

Partha Chatterjee frequently brings Arpita along for a variety of public and social events, such as the Durga Puja celebration in Kolkata's Naktala neighbourhood, where Chatterjee is well-liked. She was even included on the 2021 puja music album cover. Even during the Bengal assembly elections in 2021, Arpita ran a campaign for Chatterjee. Following her arrest, a picture of Mukherjee in an open jeep with Partha Chatterjee and Soham Chakraborty, a rookie Trinamool Congress (TMC) MLA, was widely shared on social media.

Not a part of TMC

Members of the ruling party have strenuously denied any connection to Arpita since her imprisonment. Kunal Ghosh, the TMC's general secretary, denied any connection to her. "I wish to reaffirm that Arpita Mukherjee is not a party member and has no affiliation with the TMC. She and the money taken from her residence had nothing to do with the party. At Trinamool Congress events, a lot of activists and people from all walks of life share the stage, but that doesn't mean they are affiliated with the party, he told the media on Sunday.

Suvendu Adhikari, the head of the opposition BJP, posted old pictures of Arpita appearing on stage with Chatterjee and West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee during a previous Durga Puja celebration. In addition, Adhikari posted another picture of Arpita that he claims was taken during a TMC function on July 21.