Agartala, May 18 (IANS) Fifteen people, including several police personnel and a Health Department employee, have been detained after a viral video showed a woman displaying a huge amount of cash at her residence in Tripura’s Dhalai district, officials said.

A major sensation erupted in the state on Sunday after the video surfaced on social media, showing bundles of cash suspected to be worth several crores of rupees at a house in Bhatkhowri area under Salema police station in Dhalai district.

Police, however, are yet to recover any cash from the residence of the woman, who is the wife of a police Constable.

Director General of Police (DGP) Anurag reportedly expressed strong dissatisfaction over the incident and directed senior officials to immediately rush to the area and take stringent action against all those involved.

Acting on the instructions of the police Chief, Inspector General of Police (Law and Order) Manchak Ipper, Deputy Inspector General of Police (Northern Range) Rati Ranjan Debnath, Dhalai district Superintendent of Police Rushikesh Jaysing Desai, along with several other senior officials, launched an intensive investigation into the matter.

Police officials said that 15 persons had been detained till late Sunday night in connection with the case.

he detained individuals include a few women, police personnel, Tripura State Rifles (TSR) personnel and an employee of the Health Department.

“All of them are currently being interrogated at Ambassa and Agartala police stations. After completion of the interrogation process, the police authorities would decide on their formal arrest,” a senior police official told IANS on condition of anonymity.

Police suspect the involvement of an inter-state racket linked to illegal financial dealings and drug trafficking activities.

Top sources said that cash amounting to nearly Rs 5 crore has come under the scanner during the course of the investigation.

According to reports, the matter came to light after videos showing bundles of Rs 100, Rs 500 and Rs 2,000 currency notes inside the house of police constable Piyush Debbarma, a resident of Salema, went viral on social media.

Following the circulation of the viral video, DIG Rati Ranjan Debnath instructed Dhalai district Superintendent of Police Rushikesh Jaysing Desai to initiate an immediate probe into the matter.

Subsequently, a police team led by Sub-Divisional Police Officer (SDPO) Nirupan Datta and Salema police station Officer-in-Charge Dipak Das conducted a raid at the residence of constable Piyush Debbarma.

During the questioning of Piyush Debbarma’s wife, identified as Nandu Rani Debbarma (36), police reportedly obtained the name of another woman, Sanjana Debbarma, who works as an optometrist in the Health Department.

She was later detained for questioning.

Police also detained police constable Piyush Debbarma and subjected him to extensive interrogation.

Officials said that several crucial details reportedly emerged during the questioning of the detained individuals.

During the interrogation, the detainees allegedly made several allegations and counter-allegations against one another, further complicating the investigation.

Police suspect that a larger organised network may be operating behind the scenes.

Meanwhile, IGP (Law and Order) Manchak Ipper said that a case has been registered and an in-depth investigation is currently underway.

Police are now trying to ascertain the source of the money and whether it was generated through fraud or linked to narcotics trafficking.

Officials suspect that the funds may have originated from illegal drug operations involving contraband smuggled into Tripura from outside the state.

–IANS

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