Was the 40-hour raid and search operations of Enforcement Directorate (ED) that ultimately led to the arrest of real estate promoter Ayan Shil on early Monday morning in connection to the multi-crore scam in recruitment of teaching and non-teaching staff in state-run schools in West Bengal leaked in advance?

The investigating officials of ED have come across some definite clues in this connection following the recovery of the WhatsApp chat history from the mobile phone of Shil.

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Sources said that one such SMS was from a mysterious woman late Friday evening to Shil cautioning him of the probable arrival of ED officials at his residence.

In the message, sources said, the woman also advised Shil to move away from that place after removing the necessary documents. The message came less than 12 hours before the ED sleuths actually started the raid and search operations at Shil’s residence at Salt Lake in the northern outskirts of Kolkata.

Although the sleuths have tracked the details of the sender of the message for the sake of investigation, they are not divulging her name right at this moment. However, sources added, the same woman had been traced of having a number of financial transactions with Shil as evident from the details of the different bank accounts in the name of the accused promoter.

What has made the suspicion stronger among the central agency officials about the potential leak of the forthcoming raid and search operations in advance is the irrelevant answers given by Shil in the matter when being questioned on the issue.

At times, he claims that he did not notice the message at all whereas at times he says he did not give any importance to the message. The ED sleuths are planning to question this mysterious woman in the matter shortly.

The raid and search operations at Shil’s residence has opened a new dimension in the probe by central agencies in the recruitment scam. Incriminating documents have been seized by ED which reveals that there had been massive irregularities in recruitments of staff in different municipalities in the state which is similar in nature to the scam in recruitment of teaching and non- teaching staff in state- run schools in West Bengal.