A massive cache of cash amounting to Rs 1.77 crore was recovered from a private school in Kanchrapara, located in the North 24 Parganas district, following a late-night raid conducted by police. Acting on a tip-off, officers from Bijpur Police Station carried out a search operation at Harnet School in the Foreman Colony area on Wednesday night. The search continued through the night, during which the cash was discovered in a room that had reportedly remained locked for a long time.
According to police sources, the sheer volume of the seized money required the use of three currency-counting machines. The counting process continued until early morning under tight security, with central forces deployed at the site. The entire amount was subsequently seized by the police.
The search operation also led to the recovery of packets of contraceptives from a cupboard inside the school’s sick room, raising further questions about the institution’s internal functioning and management.
Following the recovery, the school’s treasurer, Abhik Nath, and assistant accountant, Sayan Ghosh, were detained for questioning. Investigators said that both individuals failed to provide a satisfactory explanation regarding the source of the cash or the reason for storing such a large amount within the school premises instead of depositing it in a bank. Police also noted inconsistencies in their statements during interrogation.
Meanwhile, local MLA Sudipta Das and Anirban Gangopadhyay, a former student of the school, have alleged that the recovered money does not belong to the institution. They claimed that the cash had been stored at the school by Kamal Adhikari, president of the school’s managing committee and former chairman of the Kanchrapara Municipality. However, no response has yet been received from Adhikari or the other accused individuals regarding these allegations.
In contrast, the school’s headmaster, Bikash Chandra Pal, maintained that the seized amount comprised student admission fees that had accumulated over several months and were due to be deposited in a bank. He also stated that he had no knowledge of how the contraceptive packets were found in the sick room.
Police have launched a detailed investigation to ascertain the source of the funds, the circumstances under which such a large amount of cash was stored at the school, and whether any financial irregularities or illegal activities are involved. The administration is closely monitoring the progress of the probe.
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