Howrah: ‘Huge’ cash haul from car carrying 3 Jharkhand Congress MLAs

HOWRAH: Three Congress MLAs from Jharkhand were being questioned after police in Kolkata's twin city of Howrah acted on a tip-off and stopped their car Saturday evening when they were traveling through Bengal, and found a large pile of cash. The haul was so large that police sought counting machines from a bank to know the amount, said Howrah (rural) SP Swati Bhangalia.

The vehicle was intercepted at Panchla-Ranihati intersection based on information about a cash-load stashed away in it, but police knew nothing initially about the passengers.
Cops learnt later that the travellers are Irfan Ansari, Rajesh Kachchap and Naman Vixel Kongari - three Congress legislators from the neighbouring state, on their way from Jamtara in Jharkhand to East Midnapore in Bengal.

The MLAs were taken to a police station for questioning. "They are asked to reveal the money's source. Cash counting machines have been sought from a nearby bank branch," a police officer said. Sources said none of the MLAs have declared the source of the money they were carrying.