A four-member team of the West Bengal Police reached Guwahati on Wednesday as a part of its investigation into the cash seizure case, involving three Jharkhand MLAs, that has entangled the name of Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma.
A senior officer of Guwahati Police told PTI that they have accorded full cooperation to their counterparts from the neighbouring state in the investigation into the case. "The rumour that we have detained them is completely wrong. In fact, they are roaming around the city in the vehicle provided by us," the officer said.
Sources said that the West Bengal Police team is looking to collect CCTV footage of the Lokpriya Gopinath Bordoloi International (LGBI) Airport in Guwahati to ascertain if the arrested Jharkhand Congress MLAs visited Assam recently to meet Sarma.
An airport source said the investigators spoke with the CISF unit at the airport. After getting approval from the security force, they will approach the airport authorities to procure the footage.
Three Congress MLAs from Jharkhand -- Irfan Ansari, Rajesh Kachchap and Naman Bixal Kongari -- were arrested by the West Bengal Police on Sunday after the seizure of over Rs 49 lakh cash from their car in Howrah.
The Congress alleged that the BJP was trying to topple its coalition government with JMM in Jharkhand by offering Rs 10 crore each and a ministerial berth to the MLAs.
It has also dragged in the name of the Assam chief minister in the alleged conspiracy, but these allegations were rubbished by the BJP, which claimed that the Congress was trying to hide its own corruption after the cash was found.
(With PTI inputs)
