Tripura Police launched a high-level probe after huge unaccounted cash was recovered from a constable’s residence in Dhalai district. Several police and TSR personnel are under investigation for alleged financial fraud, illegal money circulation and underground lending activities.
A massive controversy has shaken the Tripura Police after a huge quantity of unaccounted cash was allegedly recovered from the residence of a police constable in Dhalai district’s Salema area, prompting a high-level investigation into suspected financial fraud, illegal money circulation and underground lending activities.
The sensational case has already led to the suspension of police constable Piyush Debbarma, while several individuals, including police and TSR personnel, are now under the scanner for their alleged links with the suspected network. The incident has triggered widespread public debate across Tripura over corruption, illegal wealth accumulation and the possible involvement of influential individuals in underground financial operations.
The controversy erupted after a video surfaced on social media allegedly showing bundles of currency notes in denominations of Rs 500, Rs 2,000 and Rs 100 displayed inside the residence of Piyush Debbarma at Bhatkhaori village under Salema Police Station in Dhalai district. The viral footage quickly drew the attention of senior police officials and reportedly prompted Director General of Police Anurag Dhankar to order a detailed inquiry.
Following the directive, DIG Northern Range Ratiranjan Debnath led an investigation team along with Dhalai Superintendent of Police Rishikesh Desai, SDPO Nirupan Dutta and Salema Police Station Officer-in-Charge Dipak Das. During the search operation conducted at the residence of the suspended constable, investigators allegedly recovered a huge amount of cash believed to be disproportionate to the known sources of income of the accused.
Police sources stated that during interrogation, Nandarani Debbarma, wife of constable Piyush Debbarma, disclosed the name of Sanjana Debbarma, an employee working in the Health Department as an optometry worker. Police subsequently detained Sanjana Debbarma for questioning as investigators attempted to trace the alleged financial transactions connected to the case.
Investigators suspect that the accused were involved in collecting money from local residents by promising unusually high returns through an alleged illegal investment and lending scheme. Preliminary findings indicate that the operation may have functioned as a money circulation racket involving high-interest lending and unauthorised financial activities.
Police have also alleged that constable Piyush Debbarma actively assisted the operation and played a significant role in facilitating the transactions. Besides his suspension from service, police reportedly detained TSR Rifleman Ajit Debbarma and East Agartala Women Police Station constable Menaka Debbarma for questioning in connection with the case.
The investigation intensified further after another video linked to the controversy surfaced online. In the footage, TSR jawan Ajit Debbarma, attached to the 14th TSR Battalion, was allegedly seen storing cash inside plastic packets. Investigators are also examining the possible involvement of another TSR jawan identified as Bijoy Debbarma, along with the husband of Sanjana Debbarma, who is reportedly a doctor.
Adding another dimension to the controversy, three tribal women appeared in a separate video accusing the wife of a police constable of collecting huge sums of money from them in the name of investment in a privately operated banking arrangement. According to their allegations, the accused later stopped responding to their phone calls and refused to recognise them after receiving the money.
Meanwhile, Nandarani Debbarma reportedly lodged a complaint at Salema Police Station alleging harassment over the circulation of the viral cash video on social media. Police have registered a case in connection with the complaint while interrogation of the accused persons continues at Ambassa and NCC police stations.
According to police sources, investigators suspect that the accused were not operating independently and that a larger organised network involving multiple individuals may be active. Officials are now attempting to determine the exact source of the recovered cash and whether the money is linked to fraud, illegal lending operations or other unlawful financial activities.
The incident comes only days after another major cash recovery case in Tripura, where Special Branch Police at Agartala Railway Station allegedly intercepted nearly Rs 60 lakh being transported in trolley bags by relatives of an IFS officer from Mumbai. The back-to-back incidents have intensified public concern regarding the rise of illegal cash transactions and underground financial networks in the state.
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Senior police officials have stated that the investigation will continue without leniency and that strict legal action will be initiated if evidence of wrongdoing is established. The case has now emerged as one of the most significant law enforcement controversies in Tripura in recent years, drawing massive public attention and raising serious questions over financial misconduct within sections of the administration.
