Bengal school ‘sick room’ throws up Rs 1.8 crore in cash; ex-TMC civic chief named in FIR

KOLKATA: Police recovered around Rs 1.8 crore in cash from the vault of an English-medium school in Kanchrapara, North 24 Parganas, following a raid since Wednesday night and arrested two persons, including the school accountant, in connection with the case.Investigators are also examining allegations that a room was constructed under the guise of the school sick room and that objectionable items were found inside.Police said the cash was recovered from a locked room at Harnett English Medium School in Foreman Colony during the raid. Officials carried out an overnight search operation and completed counting the seized cash in the early hours of Thursday.“A complaint was lodged with Bijpur Police Station by Bikash Chandra Pal, acting principal of Kanchrapara Harnett English Medium School, alleging embezzlement, misappropriation of funds and cheating by four individuals associated with the school. A case was registered under relevant sections of the BNS. During investigation, around Rs 1.8 crore in cash, along with documents and computer equipment, was seized. Two persons, including the accountant and junior accountant, were arrested after inconsistencies were found in their statements,” Asim Khan, DCP, North Zone, Barrackpore Commissionerate, told TOI.Police said four people were named in the FIR: Kamal Adhikary, former chairman of the Trinamool Congressrun Kanchrapara Municipality and president of the school management committee; committee member Goutam Ghosh Dastidar; accountant Abhik Kumar Nag; and junior accountant Sayan Pal. Nag and Pal were arrested, while Adhikary and Dastidar are reportedly absconding.Investigators are probing the source of the money and examining allegations of irregularities in student admissions.Principal Bikash Chandra Pal distanced himself from the controversy, saying the money represented admission fees collected since April and that depositing it in the bank was the responsibility of the accounts department.Sources said the case surfaced after representatives of BJP MLA Sudipta Das, who had been compiling information on educational institutions in Bijpur, received inputs about alleged irregularities and alerted police.Das compared the seizure to previous high-profile cash recovery cases and alleged the money did not belong to the school. Police have not confirmed those claims.