Cooch Behar, Aug. 28 -- Police recovered Rs 22.50 lakh in unaccounted cash from a luxury passenger bus during a naka checking operation at Bhangapakri on National Highway 27 along the Assam-Bengal border on Friday afternoon.
According to police sources, personnel at the Bhangapakri Naka checking point under Boxirhat police station intercepted an Assam-registered bus AS-15 AC-4944 following a tip-off. The bus was travelling from Jaigaon in Alipurduar district to Gelephu in Bhutan.
During the search, police found several bundles of cash concealed beneath the driver's seat. The recovered amount totalled Rs.22.50 lakh, comprising mostly Rs.500 notes, along with Rs.200 and Rs.100 denominations.
Around 20-22 passengers, including women, were travelling on the bus. All passengers were made to disembark and searched, but none claimed the cash, police said. The driver was detained by personnel of the Jorai outpost under Boxirhat Police Station for questioning, while the bus was seized.
Police have launched an investigation to determine the source of the cash, its intended recipient and the purpose for which it was being transported. The passengers were later sent towards their destination in another bus.
Published by HT Digital Content Services with permission from Millennium Post.