Andhra Minister Suspects Bomb in Abandoned Bag, Police Find Rs 10 Lakh in Cash

Hyderabad:  An Andhra Pradesh minister called in the police this morning after a bag was found abandoned on the premises of her official bungalow, suspecting it might contain a bomb. When the police opened it, they found Rs 10 lakh inside.

The find at the home of Peethala Sujatha, Women and Child Welfare Minister, comes as the Chandrababu Naidu’s government is struggling to contain the controversy of the cash for vote scam. On Monday, a lawmaker of Mr Naidu’s party, the Telugu Desam Party, was arrested while allegedly bribing an independent lawmaker ahead of the legislative council election.  



 



The bag, however, was claimed by an elderly woman, who said she had withdrawn the money from the bank for her daughter’s wedding. She left the bag at the minister’s house when she came to meet the minister.

The police also suspect that the money could have been a bribe from a candidate who sat for the exam for teachers’ recruitment – the bag contained an candidate’s exam hall ticket. The results of the District Selection Committee came out yesterday.

The minister said it was an attempt to defame her. “I don’t even know the woman whose money it is,” she told the media. The police are investigating the case.