A vehicle carrying ₹5 crore packed in small bags was intercepted at New Town, and two men who allegedly could not explain the source of the money were arrested on Sunday night.
The special task force (STF) of Bengal Police made the seizure and charged the men with theft.
“Based on an input, vehicles were searched on Sunday night near Baromatha More under Narayanpur police station by a team of the STF jointly with local police. Two men coming from Birbhum were caught. They could not explain the origin of the money or their destination,” an STF officer said on Monday.
The police identified the two arrested as Akram Khan, 35, and Imran Khan, 31, both reportedly from Birbhum.
Police sources said the vehicle had entered Calcutta from Birbhum on Saturday through Vidyasagar Setu and passed through multiple locations in the city without stopping.
“We had received information about something suspicious being carried in the vehicle. It was intercepted in the Narayanpur area on Sunday evening,” the STF officer said.
On searching the vehicle, the money was found in multiple zippered bags. The vehicle has also been seized.
When the Election Commission of India’s model code of conduct for elections is in force, any cash above ₹50,000 can attract police queries. The person carrying the money must provide documents proving its source and intended use. However, there is no legal upper limit for carrying cash when the model code of conduct is not in place.
“One can carry any amount of money. But law agencies can question the source if they find it suspicious,” a senior STF officer said.
The STF officers said the income tax department would be alerted about the seizure.
A theft case has been registered.
“As the duo could neither provide a valid reason for carrying the cash nor any documents confirming its destination, it is presumed they obtained the money through illegal means. A theft case has been initiated,” the officer added.
The Bengal STF is working to locate the owner of the cash.