The Criminal Investigation Department (CID) of West Bengal Police on Wednesday, seized more cash from Jamtara in Jharkhand in connection with ongoing investigation related to the arrest of three Jharkhand MLAs with large cash, in Howrah on July 30. Three former Congress MLAs Mr. Irfan Ansari, Mr. Rajesh Kachchap and Mr. Naman Bixal Kongari were produced before a Court in Howrah which remanded them to CID custody, till August 14.
A senior official of the CID told The Hindu that ₹5 lakh was recovered from the residence of MLA Mr. Irfan Ansari from Jamtara in Jharkhand. The three MLAs were arrested by West Bengal Police on July 30 with ₹49 lakh cash and have been in the custody of CID ever since. They were expelled by the Congress party which alleged that there was an attempt by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) to topple the government in Jharkhand. The Congress party is part of Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) led government in Jharkhand.
Links with businessmen
The CID teams had also visited Delhi and Guwahati in connection with the investigation and its officials alleged obstructions in conducting the probe at both the places. They had also found links with businessmen from Kolkata and Guwahati who allegedly provided cash to the Jharkhand MLAs. Earlier this week CID also recorded the statement of Mr. Kumar Jaimangal, Congress MLA from Bemro in Jharkhand, who had filed a police complaint against arrested MLAs in Ranchi. The MLA had told media persons in Kolkata that there was a conspiracy to dislodge the JMM- led government in Jharkhand.
The three arrested MLAs had approached Calcutta High Court seeking a stay on CID probe and prayed that the case be passed to central investigating agencies. The High Court rejected their prayer. “Although the petitioners claim to be carrying ₹49 lakh avowedly for purchase of sarees for the World Tribal Day Festival on 9th August, 2022, they were intercepted with only the cash and without the products purchased, “Justice Moushumi Bhattacharya had said in the order dated August 4.
