Three Congress MLAs, who were nabbed with huge quantities of cash by the West Bengal police at Panchla in Howrah district on late Saturday evening, were remanded to 10 days Criminal Investigation Department (CID) custody by a lower court on Sunday afternoon.

The three MLAs are Irfan Ansari from Jamtara, Rajesh Kacchap from Khijri (ST) and Naman Bixal Kongari from Kolebira (ST). Besides the three MLAs, one more person travelling with them and driver of the vehicle where the cash was seized was also remanded to the CID custody for 10 days. The vehicle had the board of Jamtara MLA, Irfan Ansari. A little over Rs 49 lakh was seized from that vehicle.

On Sunday morning, a special team of CID- West Bengal officials reached Panchla police station, where the three MLAs were interrogated throughout the day about the sources of this huge cash. After the court order, the CID team took the three MLAs, the driver and the fifth person travelling in the car to the CID headquarters at Bhabani Bhavan in Kolkata. “They will be interrogated again by us tonight only,” confirmed a CID official.

However, all the three MLAs are sticking to their earlier point that they that they represent tribal-dominated constituencies in Jharkhand and they came to Kolkata to purchase sarees in large quantities from Burrabazar wholesale market for the purpose of distribution in their respective constituencies on the occasion of the forthcoming World Tribal Day on August 9, 2022.

However, the police have not found their statements convincing as none of them could specify on the sources of the funds. Meanwhile, Congress has already suspended these three MLAs from the party.

(The story has been published via a syndicated feed with a modified headline.)