Three Jharkhand MLAs of the Congress party, who were held on Saturday night with huge amount of cash in West Bengal's Howrah, were arrested on Sunday.
An official added that West Bengal Criminal Investigation Department (CID) will take over the case.
Acting on a tip-off, the car in which MLAs Irfan Ansari, Rajesh Kachchap and Naman Bixal Kongari were travelling was intercepted on National Highway-16 at Ranihati in Panchla police station area, said Swati Bhangalia, Superintendent of Police of Howrah (Rural).
She added, "We had specific input that a huge amount of money was being transported in a black car. We started checking the vehicles and intercepted this SUV in which three Jharkhand MLAs were travelling.
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"A huge amount of cash was found in the vehicle. Cash counting machines are being brought in to ascertain the total amount. The MLAs are also being questioned about the source of the money and where it was being taken to."
Besides the MLAs, there were two other persons in the car, which had a board mentioning "MLA Jamtara Jharkhand" along with the Congress election symbol, police said.
Ansari is the MLA of Jamtara, while Kachchap is the legislator of Khijri in Ranchi district, and Kongari is the MLA of Kolebira in Simdega district.
Sources said the Howrah Rural Police was tipped off about the vehicle by the West Bengal CID.
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Congress suspends MLAs, alleges conspiracy
The Congress on Sunday suspended the three Jharkhand MLAs and accused the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) of attempting to topple its coalition government in the state, led by the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM).
However, the Congress asserted that its coalition government with JMM is "completely secure and stable" and would complete its term.
Addressing a press conference at the All India Congress Committee (AICC) headquarters in Delhi, Congress General Secretary and Jharkhand In-Charge Avinash Pande said Congress President Sonia Gandhi has suspended the three MLAs with immediate effect.
Pande said the three MLAs were allegedly involved in a plot to weaken the legislative party in Jharkhand and also in "misleading" other MLAs
He said, "The party leadership is aware of who all are part of the conspiracy and will take action at an appropriate time. We have information on everyone. In the coming days, be it any public representative, party's office bearer, or any worker, whoever is found connected or involved in this, the party will take strict action against them."
Pande asserted that the JMM-led government is completely "secure and stable" and the coalition MLAs, "barring a few black sheep", will fight such attempts in a united manner and complete the term.
Accusing the BJP of attempting to topple the Jharkhand government, Pande said democracy is being "shredded to pieces" as democratically elected governments are being destabilised in a brazen manner.
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He alleged, "Efforts being made from the last two years to destabilise the government in Jharkhand and from time to time legislators are contacted, threatened and enticed."
An FIR was also registered in the connection some days ago against BJP leaders, Pande said.
"In these efforts, a chief minister of a state is involved and is contacting MLAs directly and Union ministers are threatening MLAs," Pande claimed without naming anyone.
Pande said the Enforcement Directorate (ED) had been misused to effect a change of government in Maharashtra.
Congress' media department head Pawan Khera alleged that the government agencies, instead of doing their job, were working as an extended arm of the BJP to destabilise elected governments.
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"The BJP's 'Operation Lotus' in Jharkhand stands exposed tonight in Howrah. The game plan of 'Hum Do' in Delhi is to do in Jharkhand what they did in Maharashtra by installing ED duo," said Congress General Secretary Jairam Ramesh said on Twitter.
Congress lodges police complaint against MLAs
After making allegations that the BJP was trying to topple the Jharkhand government with the cash, the Congress party on Sunday said it has lodged a police complaint against the three MLAs.
Addressing a press conference in Jharkhand's capital Ranchi, Congress minister Alamgir Alam said the party's Bermo MLA Kumar Jaimangal has lodged the police complaint against the three legislators for allegedly luring other MLAs by offering Rs 10 crore each and a ministerial berth if the BJP forms government in the state.
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Jaimangal claimed, "Rajesh Kachchap and Naman Bixal Kongari were asking me to come to Kolkata and were offering money, promising Rs 10 crore per MLA. Ifran Ansari and Rajesh Kachchap wanted to take me to Guwahati from Kolkata where according to them a meeting was fixed with Assam Chief Minister Hemant Biswa Sarma."
After filing the complaint at the Argora police station in Ranchi, Jaimangal claimed that he has sought action against the three MLAs under Section 7(C) of the Prevention of Corruption Act and IPC Section 120 (B), which deals with criminal conspiracy. He said he has urged the police to check criminal activities detrimental to the health of democracy.
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An officer of the Argora police station said since the cash was recovered in West Bengal, they were transferring the matter to them.
Opposition parties raise questions
Echoing the Congress, the ruling Trinamool Congress (TMC) of West Bengal claimed the recovery of cash was made amid murmurs of horse trading and the possible toppling of the Jharkhand government.
Jharkhand's Independent MLA Saryu Roy, who had defeated former chief minister Raghubar Das to bag the Jamshedpur East seat, asked the Congress to clarify whether the MLAs were returning to Jharkhand with cash or travelling to some other state from Jharkhand.
"Where is the source of money — Assam, Bengal or Jharkhand?" he asked.
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West Bengal minister Shashi Panja demanded a thorough investigation into the matter.
"ED, are you taking a note or the matter is not grievous enough? Machines were brought in to count a huge amount of cash found in a vehicle in which three Jharkhand MLAs were travelling," she said, alluding to the central agency's investigation into the huge amount of cash found at properties linked to arrested West Bengal minister Partha Chatterjee.
BJP denies allegations
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.
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"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.
BJP's Jharkhand president Deepak Prakash told PTI the Congress MLAs should explain where did they get such a huge amount of cash.
(With PTI inputs)
