In a shocking and bizarre incident, police allegedly recovered bags filled with bundles of Rs 500 notes buried underground near Trinamool Congress (TMC) party office in West Bengal’s Baduria on Wednesday.
The recovery was made during searches following the arrest of senior TMC leader and Baduria Municipality chairman Dipankar Bhattacharya, in connection with alleged irregularities involving government relief materials and illegal assets.
As per the visuals, the police officials can be seen carrying sacks stuffed with bundles of Rs 500 currency notes.
#BreakingNews | Cash buried underground near a TMC party office?
Police recovered four bags allegedly stuffed with ₹500 currency bundles during search operations after the arrest of the TMC chairman of Baduria in an irregularities case@KamalikaSengupt gets you more details… pic.twitter.com/5tn7JLhmpk
— News18 (@CNNnews18) May 27, 2026
According to police sources, investigators received specific information that cash had been hidden underground near the party office. Acting on the tip-off, officers carried out excavation work near the premises.
Eyewitnesses said that during the digging operation, police recovered four large bags stuffed with bundles of Rs 500 currency notes. Officials said the exact amount is still being counted, but preliminary estimates suggest the cash could run into crores of rupees.
The recovery has triggered a political storm in the state.
Earlier, police had allegedly recovered nearly Rs 80 lakh in cash during raids at locations linked to Bhattacharya. Around 4,000 government relief tarpaulins meant for distribution to disaster-hit poor families were also seized.
The investigation began after residents reportedly noticed suspicious movement near a TMC office in the Pura area late at night. Locals claimed that heavily loaded vans were moving goods out of the office while some people were allegedly burning official documents outside the premises.
Following the tip-off, police raided the party office and a nearby farmhouse, leading to the seizure of relief materials and cash.
Bhattacharya reportedly evaded arrest for several hours before police tracked him down and arrested him from a secret location.
Investigators later searched a computer training centre located next to his residence, where additional cash and relief materials were allegedly recovered.
Residents have accused local municipal authorities of hoarding government relief supplies intended for poor citizens affected by natural disasters and allegedly planning to sell them illegally.
