Bengal CID 'restrained' by Delhi Police from conducting raid at one of Jharkhand MLA's property

The crime investigating agency earlier claimed that the cash seized from the three MLAs was delivered to them by a Calcutta-based businessman through hawala

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PTI   |   Calcutta   |     03.08.22 : West Bengal CID on Wednesday claimed that Delhi Police allegedly restrained its team from conducting a search operation in the national capital at a property associated with one of the three arrested Jharkhand MLAs in the cash seizure case.

Three Congress MLAs from Jharkhand -- Irfan Ansari, Rajesh Kachchap and Naman Bixal Kongari were arrested by West Bengal Police after Rs 49 lakh in cash was seized from a car in which they were travelling.

"On Wednesday morning, a team of West Bengal Criminal Investigation Department (CID) was restrained by Delhi Police from carrying out a search operation at a property associated with an accused in Jharkhand MLAs cash seizure case despite having a court warrant.

"They had gone to the national capital in connection with the probe into the cash seizure case. This restraining is completely illegal," a senior CID official told PTI.

The CID earlier claimed that the cash seized from the three MLAs was delivered to them by a Calcutta-based businessman through hawala.

The agency on Tuesday raided the office of the businessman, identified as Mahendra Agarwal, at Lalbazar area of Kolkata and recovered Rs 3 lakh in cash, several bank passbooks and around 250 silver coins.

The businessman has been absconding since the arrest of the three MLAs.

The grand old party, which is a part of the JMM-led government in Jharkhand, alleged that the BJP was trying to topple the Hemant Soren government by offering Rs 10 crore each and a ministerial berth to MLAs.

The Congress has also dragged in the name of Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma in the alleged conspiracy, but these allegations were rubbished by the BJP, which claimed that the grand old party was trying to hide its own corruption after the cash was found.