Poll panel chief seeks report on highway robbery

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The Election Commission has sought a conclusive police report on the highway robbery case registered by Kodakara police on April 7. The report was sought by Chief Electoral Officer Teeka Ram Meena after the initial report submitted by the state police chief last month turned out to be sketchy. 

The money heist had assumed serious political ramifications after the CPM alleged that the stolen cash was part of the unaccounted money that BJP had brought into the state to meet its election expenses. Though the complainant had claimed that `25 lakh was robbed from the car by a gang, the initial probe suggested that the stolen amount was way more than what was reported to the police. 

Meena said the report submitted did not have much details and hence he had wrote back to the police to produce a conclusive final report. “Since it was a preliminary report, we could not expect much details in it. There was no mention of any political connection to the incident nor the affiliation of those who were involved in the crime. Even there was no mention of the exact amount that was robbed,” Meena told TNIE. 

The police had made several arrests by April 29 and reportedly questioned a former Yuva Morcha state leader in connection with the probe. Though the cops claimed that the probe is in an advanced stage, surprisingly they are yet to submit a detailed report to the Election Commission in this regard. Meanwhile, sources said the cash was meant for southern districts and the cops have got concrete information about the source of the cash.