Malda, July 28: The CID team probing the July 21 murders of a Malda businessman, his wife and a domestic help has arrested three relatives of the main accused and claimed to have found the cash stolen from the house.

On Tuesday night, the CID had detained Nirmal Singh's mother Sumitra Singh, his sister Amrita Ghosh and her husband Chand from Old Malda and arrested them this morning.

Sources said the trio are believed to have helped Nirmal hide the cash and other items allegedly stolen from businessman Ratanlal's Agarwal's house.

CID sleuths last night dug up polythene bags from a thicket in Naldubi village containing Rs 8,22,700 in cash. The amount comprised 500 and 1,000 rupee notes.

The agency, which arrested Nirmal on July 24, had found the ornaments allegedly stolen from the Agarwal home but was yet to trace the safe that contained the cash. The ornaments weighed 2.5kg.

"After committing the murder, Nirmal Singh took refuge at his sister's house in Naldubi. We had already dug up the ornaments from the area soon after his arrest on July 24," a CID source said.

The CID learnt about the cash after questioning the trio on Tuesday night.

"The trio were interrogated in phases on Tuesday night and we got to know from them where the safe was hidden. Around 10pm on Wednesday, we recovered the safe with its door smashed from a pond near the house of Nirmal Singh's sister. After that, the cash was dug up from behind the sister's house. We arrested the trio today," the source said.

The trio will be produced in court tomorrow.