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Hyderabad: Hyderabad cops on Thursday confiscated Rs 5 crore unaccounted cash from a car during vehicle checking in Gachibowli area in election-bound Telangana. Seven people transporting the cash in two vehicles were detained. The police recovered a huge amount of cash in Rangareddy.’
The amount has been handed over to the Income Tax Department officials for further investigation, reported sources.
A week before the assembly elections in Telangana, police have tightened vigil across the state. The model code of conduct came into effect on October 9 and since then the police have intensified checking of vehicles.
According to Election Commission of India’s (ECI) Model Code of Conduct for Assembly polls, transporting cash is a punishable offence.
Drugs, cash, liquor worth Rs 1,760 crore seized in poll-going states
In a separate incident, Rs 2 crore cash was reportedly recovered from a car in the jurisdiction of Hayatnagar in Hyderabad on Thursday.
Earlier, the Election Commission on Monday had said that freebies, drugs, cash, liquor and precious metals worth more than Rs 1,760 crore have been seized so far in five states aimed at luring voters.
The poll panel said the seizures made since the polls were announced on October 9 are over seven times (Rs 239.15 crore) the seizures made in the previous assembly elections in these states in 2018.
While assembly polls have already been held in Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh and Mizoram, voting will take place in Rajasthan and Telangana on November 25 and November 30 respectively.
According to an EC statement, seizures worth over Rs 1,400 crore were made in the past six state assembly elections held in Gujarat, Himachal Pradesh, Nagaland, Meghalaya, Tripura and Karnataka, which was 11 times the seizures made in previous assembly elections in these states.
An EC functionary underscores that while announcing the poll schedule for the five states, Chief Election Commissioner Rajiv Kumar had emphasizes on inducement-free elections to ensure a level-playing field for all candidates and parties.
This time, the Commission has also incorporated technology in the monitoring process through the Election Expenditure Monitoring System (ESMS) which is proving to be a catalyst, as it has brought about a collaboration of central and state enforcement agencies for better coordination and intelligence sharing. Bringing together a wide range, the statement said.
