Police recovered ₹1.44 crore in cash from a private English-medium school in Kanchrapara, North 24 Parganas district, West Bengal, following a late-night search operation on Wednesday, 11 June. Two individuals have been arrested in connection with the recovery, which has drawn sharp political attention in the state.

How the Search Was Conducted

The operation was initiated after Bijpur MLA Sudipta Das, who had been building a data bank of educational institutions in his constituency following the change of government in the state, received a tip-off about the school. Das reached the premises at night and alerted police, who launched the search. By 4:30 am on Thursday, counting teams had tallied ₹1.44 crore — a sum large enough that multiple money-counting machines had to be brought in overnight to process the notes.

Separately, a packet of condoms was found inside a cupboard in the school's designated 'sick room', according to police.

Arrests and Investigation

According to sources, school cashier Abhik Nath and assistant accountant Sayan Ghosh were arrested after investigators found inconsistencies in their statements during interrogation. Police said the source of the cash and the circumstances under which such a large sum came to be stored on school premises are under active investigation.

What the MLA Alleged

MLA Das was unambiguous in his accusations. 'Money was found from former state minister Partha Chatterjee's residence. Now, cash was found in the school. There have been allegations of irregularities here. After that, this incident was detected today,' he said. Das further alleged that the funds belonged to Kamal Adhikari, Subodh Adhikari, and Partha Bhowmik — all, he claimed, leaders of the All India Trinamool Congress (TMC). 'What is understood now is that they hid so much money in this school out of fear of ED and CBI raids. Where did this money come from?' he asked. Das also claimed that Kamal, reportedly the former chairman of Kanchrapara Municipality, was president of the school's management committee. No official response was received from Kamal, Subodh, or Partha Bhowmik at the time of reporting.

School's Explanation

School principal Bikash Chandra Pal maintained that the recovered cash represented admission fees that had been accumulating since approximately April and had not yet been deposited in the bank. 'The money received for admission had been accumulating since almost April. That money was supposed to be sent to the bank. The accounts section will look after the money,' he said. Pal said he was unaware of how the condoms came to be in the sick room.

A Pattern Emerging in Bengal

The Kanchrapara recovery comes less than a week after a suitcase containing termite-damaged currency was found in the student union room of Surendranath College in Kolkata, where weapons and contraceptives were also discovered. Notably, both incidents follow the high-profile seizure of cash from the residence of former state minister Partha Chatterjee during an Enforcement Directorate investigation. Critics argue these recoveries point to a broader pattern of illicit cash being stashed in institutional premises. The administration has said the full picture will become clear once the investigation report is made public.