3 Jharkhand Cong MLAs Caught With Cash Stash Sent To 10-Day Police Remand | Key Updates

The CID has taken over the investigation from the Howrah Rural Police. A case has been registered against five people including MLAs under relevant sections of IPC and Prevention of Corruption Act.

3 Congress MLAs of Jharkhand were found with a huge pile of cash worth Rs 49 lakh ( Image Source :ABP News )

New Delhi: The West Bengal Police on Sunday arrested three Jharkhand Congress MLAs after a huge pile of cash worth Rs 49 lakh was recovered from their vehicle in Howrah district. The police arrested the MLAs along with two of their associates who were produced before the Howrah district court on Sunday. Taragati Ghatak, Public Prosecutor informed that after hearing both sides, the court rejected the bail plea, and their request for 10 days of police remand was considered, reported news agency ANI.

"CID has put charges against them under the Prevention of Corruption Act. We raised questions on the applicability of these charges, the court rejected the bail plea. They have been sent them to 10 days of police remand. We kept our arguments in the court," said MLAs' advocate Sayak Mitra, as per the ANI report.

On Saturday evening, the vehicle of MLAs who were stopped on National Highway-16 in Ranihati of Panchala police station area from where the cash was recovered. MLAs Irfan Ansari, Rajesh Kachhap and Naman Bixal Kongari and their driver failed to explain to the police why they were carrying such a huge amount of cash, following which they were arrested, said officials, according to ABP News.

CID Takes Over Probe

The CID has taken over the investigation from the Howrah Rural Police. A case has been registered against five people including MLAs under relevant sections of IPC and Prevention of Corruption Act. Three Congress MLAs had gone from Kolkata to Guwahati on Friday night and returned on Saturday, according to the police sources. The reason behind the leaders’ visiting Guwahati is not yet known. At the same time, the family members of Congress MLA Irfan Ansari reached K Panchla police station in Howrah. He claims that he has papers and every year at this time Irfan comes to buy clothes for the tribal programme.

Congress Suspends 3 MLAs Found With Cash Stash

The Congress suspended the three MLAs on Sunday. The party has accused the BJP was trying to topple the JMM-led government in Jharkhand by offering Rs10 crore to each MLA. 

The Congress asserted that the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM)-led government is completely safe and stable. Addressing a press conference at the Congress headquarters, the party's Jharkhand in-charge Avinash Pandey said that Congress President Sonia Gandhi has suspended the three MLAs with immediate effect.

Pandey said the three MLAs were allegedly involved in a conspiracy to weaken the party's legislature in Jharkhand and misleading other MLAs. He added the party leadership is aware of the people involved in this conspiracy and action will be taken at the appropriate time. “In the coming times, whether they are public representatives, party office bearers, or any worker, whoever is found connected or involved in this, the party will take strict action against him,” the leader added.

Accusing the BJP of toppling the Jharkhand government, Pandey said that democracy is being shattered by shameless acts of destabilizing the elected governments. He alleged that efforts are being made for the last two years to destabilize the government in Jharkhand and from time to time the MLAs are contacted, threatened and tempted. Pandey noted that a few days back an FIR was also registered against BJP leaders in this regard. Without naming anyone, he claimed, "The chief minister of a state is involved in these efforts and is directly contacting the legislators and the union ministers are threatening the legislators."

Assam CM Responds To Allegations Of Horse-Trading

Meanwhile, Jharkhand Congress MLA Kumar Jaimangal also alleged Assam CM Himanta Biswa Sarma has a major role in the horse-trading of MLAs to topple the JMM-Cong coalition government.

Sarma switched over to the BJP from Congress in 2015. Jaimangal wrote a letter of complaint against three Congress MLAs nabbed in West Bengal's Howrah with a huge amount of cash. He alleged that the trio had called him to Kolkata to take him to Guwahati and meet Assam CM Himanta Biswa Sarma in Guwahati along with them where he would have been promised a ministerial berth and cash worth crores after bringing down the JMM-Congress government in the tribal-dominated state.

The BJP has rubbished the allegations, claiming that the Congress was defaming it to hide corruption within the party.

Retorting to the allegations of Kumar Jaimangal Singh, Assam CM Himanta Biswa Sarma Assam on Sunday said he is still in touch with his former party cadres due to his 22-year-long association with Congress. Addressing the reporters, Biswa said, "Even topmost persons of Congress keep in touch with me. We don't talk about politics but being in a party for over 22 years, we keep in touch. I don't know why FIR was filed on this."