Termite-Eaten Cash Worth Several Lakh Recovered From Kolkata's Surendranath College

Kolkata: A fresh political controversy has surfaced in West Bengal after bags full of money were found in the locked student union room at the Surendranath College premises in Kolkata, police said.

Several notes of Rs 500 and Rs 100 denominations were found in an almirah at the spot during the cleanliness drive, although many of the notes were eaten away by termites, according to police sources.

College officials said that the student union room had been locked since May 4, after the election results were declared. This money was found after a municipal team visited the college to eliminate mosquitoes before the monsoon season arrived. When nobody could produce the keys to unlock the door, it was forced open with the permission of the college authorities.

Inside the room, officials discovered two bags containing cash along with many banners belonging to the Trinamool Congress. Police personnel from Muchipara Police Station visited the college campus in response to a tip-off received from the authorities there.

This act has created a storm among the opposition party BJP members, including MLA Sajal Ghosh. “It is evident from the recovery of a lakh of rupees from inside a student union room, and we can say this money is extorted in the name of admitting students,” said Ghosh. He went on to state that papers discovered within the room indicate that there was a "job selling racket."

According to the police sources, apart from the money which had termites, there were some vouchers which have been retrieved by the authorities. It is believed that these vouchers were used in order to withdraw money from the various financial accounts illicitly. There was an internal consultation among the departmental heads of the college before they filed a complaint with the police.

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