Seizure of unaccounted cash in the state since Model Code of Conduct came into force on March 10 by Income-Tax authorities touched Rs 4.66 crore on Tuesday, which was nearly 260% higher than the cash seizure of Rs 1.30 crore made during the 2017 assembly elections.
State's Chief Electoral Officer S Murali Krishna told reporters that I-T authorities had seized Rs 77 lakh worth of unaccounted jewellery, and cash of Rs 3.52 crore in the state as of April 8. The figure of cash seized went up to Rs 4.66 crore with seizure of Rs 1.14 crore from an angadia firm and a cash handler in Rajkot on Tuesday.
Pankaj Srivastava, joint director of Income-Tax, Ahmedabad, said that cash and jewellery worth Rs 44 lakh were seized in the first week of announcement of polls, Rs 65.84 lakh in the second, Rs 2.25 crore in the third, Rs 1 crore in the fourth, and Rs 1.19 crore in the fifth.
Krishna said that Rs 500 crore worth of drugs, and Rs 9.03 crore worth of liquor had also been seized in the state so far.
The CEO also said that 101 complaints regarding model code of conduct violation had been received so far. He said that 650 complaints received on cVigil had been disposed of.
More than 98,500 posters, banners, wall writings, and flags had been removed from government buildings and 18,582 from private buildings since MCC came into force.