Kolkata-based share broker held for 'delivering' cash to Jharkhand MLAs

Kolkata, Aug 3 (IANS) The Criminal Investigation Department (CID) of West Bengal police on Wednesday arrested Kolkata-based share broker Mahendra Agarwal, who, according to the agency, provided cash to three Congress MLAs from Jharkhand.

CID sources confirmed that Agarwal was arrested on Wednesday afternoon from an undisclosed location near the Eastern Metropolitan Bypass.

He was first taken to the CID headquarters at Bhabani Bhavan from where he was shifted to state-run SSKM Medical College and Hospital after he complained of chest pain during the course of interrogation.

On Tuesday afternoon, the CID sleuths had raided Agarwal's office at Bikaner House in central Kolkata and recovered cash to the tune of around Rs 3.5 lakh along with 250 silver coins. A number of bank passbooks, passports and hard discs were also seized by the CID on Tuesday.

Last week, three Jharkhand MLAs -- Irfan Ansari, Rajesh Kacchap and Naman Bixal Kongari -- were nabbed by the police from Howrah with large amount of cash to the tune of Rs 49 lakh in their vehicles.

The MLAs told the police that the cash was meant for purchasing sarees from the wholesale market at Burrabazar in Kolkata for distribution in their constituencies on World Tribal Day on August 9.

The three MLAs along with two others have been remanded to CID custody till August 10.