Unaccounted cash to the tune of ₹2 crore, a large stash of Set Top Boxes and a huge haul of illicit liquor were seized in different places by the flying squad and police teams enforcing the Model Code of Conduct for the April 6 Assembly election in Puducherry.
According to Chief Electoral Officer Shurbir Singh, officials of the Flying Squad of Kadirkamam, Thattanchavady and Indira Nagar Assembly segments intercepted a vehicle in Thanthai Periyar Nagar during a surprise check and seized the cash being transported in it.
Though the people carrying the cash in the vehicle disclosed during enquiry that it was from a private bank, they could not present valid documents to show the destination the cash was being taken to.
On suspicion that the cash was intended for illegal distribution to the voters while the Model Code of Conduct for Assembly polls was in force, the officials handed the cash over to the Income Tax Department for further investigation.
Mr. Singh said the cash was in the denominations of ₹500, ₹200 and ₹100, and the vehicle used for transportation was a private van normally used by banks.
In another incident, the flying squad of Embalam, Nettapakkam and Bahoor segments acting on a tip-off seized around 30,000 set top boxes worth about ₹two crore from a house on Mariamman Koil Street, Kattukuppam.
The STBs were stocked in the first floor of the house with the owner residing in the ground floor. An enquiry revealed that the STBs were manufactured by an Ahmedabad-based firm and sold to a local company in Tiruvandar Koil area. However, no permits could be produced by the owner of the house for holding such a huge stock of STBs.
Flying Squad officials have seized the stock and sealed the site. A police complaint has been lodged under relevant provisions of the IPC and Representation of People’s Act.
In another raid, over 3,650 litres of arrack kept in the backyard of an arrack shop in Nedungadu constituency in Karaikal were seized. A police team seized 57 barrels, each with 50-litre capacity and 20 gunny bags, each with 40 litre capacity, valued at about ₹7.30 lakh.
So far, an estimated 18,500 litres of illicit liquor worth an estimated ₹32 lakh, has been seized in the Union Territory, the CEO said.