Even as Mamata Banerjee alleged “free flow of illegal money for votes” in Bengal pointing at the BJP as the main accused, the police apprehended more people with unexplained cash from South 24 Parganas, North 24 Pargans, Durgapur and elsewhere.
An alleged saffron worker was arrested with Rs 30 lakh near Baruipur in South 24 Parganas police said, adding another person was held from Durgapur region with Rs 19 lakh. Both the persons were being questioned. Earlier a person reportedly travelling from Varanasi was arrested at Durgapur Railway Station while he was carrying Rs 70 lakh inside a trolley bag, police said. The Durgapur incident came within 48 hours of two persons being arrested by the Asansol GRP with Rs 1 crore.
The accused in Asansol case was remanded to police custody and had reportedly told his interrogators that the fund belonged to the saffron outfit and was likely to be used for electoral purposes. The person is a former private secretary of Bengal BJP president Dilip Ghosh.
With the Friday’s catch more than Rs 2 crore was seized in the past four days, police sources said.
Meanwhile, in a related development alleged Trinamool Congress workers attacked and vandalized the vehicles belonging to TMC leader Mukul Roy and Dum Dum BJP candidate Samik Bhattacharya following information that the two leaders were meeting with a veteran CPI(M) leader Paltu Dasgupta inside a guest house.
The TMC sources said the Left and BJP leaders were transacting cash though the police found no evidence of such transaction.
“We had assembled at a family function in a house at Dum Dum where a CPI(M) leader too had come to join the occasion. The TMC made it an issue alleging the CPI(M) leader was taking cash to transfer Left votes to the BJP,” said Bhattacharya adding the vehicles of his party were badly damaged by the TMC workers.