3 Jharkhand Congress MLAs arrested after they were caught with cash in Bengal

New Delhi, July 31: Three Jharkhand MLAs who were nabbed allegedly with a huge amount of cash in West Bengal have been arrested on Sunday. They were earlier today suspended from the party with immediate effect.

An amount of Rs 49 lakh in cash was recovered from their SUV, which was intercepted on National Highway-16 at Ranihati in the Panchla police station area on Saturday evening, he said.

MLAs Irfan Ansari, Rajesh Kachchap and Naman Bixal Kongari, and two other persons, including their driver, were arrested after they failed to answer the police as to why they were carrying such a huge amount of cash, he added.

"They could not state the reason for carrying such a huge amount of cash. We are not satisfied by their claim that they came here to purchase sarees meant to be distributed among tribal women. We have arrested them for further investigation," the officer told PTI. The state CID has taken over the investigation from the Howrah Rural Police, he said.

The five persons, including the MLAs, have been booked under relevant sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC), including that for criminal conspiracy, and the Prevention of Corruption Act, he said. The arrests were made after the MLAs were questioned throughout the night, the officer said.

The Congress, which is a part of the JMM-led government in Jharkhand along with Lalu Prasad's RJD, has already suspended the three MLAs.

Senior BJP leader Babulal Marandi said the Congress has conspired to defame his party by filing a false police complaint to hide its own sins.

"This is shameful and ridiculous. They do not trust their own MLAs. They are trying to hide the corruptions and misdeeds of their MLAs," said Marandi, a former chief minister.