Bengal CID raids Kolkata trader's office in Jharkhand MLAs cash scam

Kolkata, Aug 2 West Bengal's Criminal Investigation Department (CID) sleuths raided the office of a Kolkata-based sharebroker, who, according to the CID, gave cash to three Congress MLAs from Jharkhand.

The accused, Mahendra Agarwal's office in Bikaner Building at central Kolkata's Lal Bazar Street, was raided on Tuesday afternoon, during which 250 silver coins and Rs 3,31,000 in cash were recovered. The raid continued for two hours after which the office was sealed.

The CID has also procured some CCTV footage which shows that the three Congress MLAs received over Rs 48 lakh from Agarwal.

"Now we are trying to figure out who assigned this trader to give money to the three Jharkhand MLAs and what was the source of that money," an official said.

On Saturday evening, the three MLAs Irfan Ansari from Jamtara Assembly constituency, Rajesh Kacchap from Khijri (Scheduled Tribe) constituency and Naman Bixal Kongari from Kolebira (ST) constituency were nabbed by the police at Howrah's Panchla, with the cash in their SUV boot.

The MLAs told the police that the cash was meant for purchasing sarees from the wholesale market at Burrabazar in central Kolkata to distribute in their constituencies on the occasion of the forthcoming World Tribal Day. The MLAs and two others arrested with them, including the driver, have been remanded to CID custody till August 10.

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