Huge sum of cash and 1,890 gold-plated coins were seized by the police and the election officials during election-related vehicle checks conducted across the city on Sunday. The cash and coins have been handed over to flying squads constituted by the election machinery.
According to the sources, the officials are probing into the source of the seized items and the necessary documents to prove the source of income.
Cash was seized from two persons during vehicle checks conducted by the Saibaba Colony police on Thadagam Road. Diwakar (31) of Veerapandipudur, a brick kiln owner, was questioned after Rs. 1.5 lakh was seized from him as he did not have the requisite documents. Later in the day, a sum of Rs. 1 lakh was seized from a car belonging to Selvakumar (40) of Velandipalayam, who runs an IT company.
The Kuniamuthur police seized Rs. 1 lakh from Omar (51) of Thrissur. The police team conducting checks at Gandhipuram Central Bus Stand found Prabhu (40) of Kulithalai, a real estate dealer, carrying Rs. 88,000.
Similarly, the flying squad and the police officials seized a sum of Rs. 59,000 from a car at a check post near Perur Bus Terminus. Shankar, the driver, said that he was carrying the cash for a business transaction. In another instance, Rs. 71,000 was seized at Onampalayam check post from a car driven by Varadharajan of Mathipalayam. Both of them were unable to produce documents to account for the cash.
Further, as many as 1,890 gold-plated coins, valued at around Rs. 2 lakh, were seized at a check post at Kamatchipuram near Singanallur from Sivananadan (43) of Pongalur. He claimed to be working for a jewellery shop. As he was unable to account for the coins, the police seized them. It may be noted that District Collector Archana Patnaik had announced that people should desist from carrying more than Rs. 50,000 with them and added that in the event of carrying money, they should be able to explain the source of income and purpose of the cash to the officials.
Tirupur The police and the revenue officials together seized unaccounted cash to the tune of Rs. 26.06 lakh from a petrol bunk owner and seven vegetable traders in the district on Sunday. Revenue Divisional Officer (Udumalpet) N. Gunaseakaran, who led the teams that seized the cash, told The Hindu that the petrol bunk owner was caught carrying Rs. 3.99 lakh at Udumalpet. He could not produce the documents and hence, the cash was seized, the RDO said.
The remaining Rs. 22,07,030 were seized from seven vegetable traders at Madathukulam while they were travelling in two cars and one van. The traders told in the inquiry that they were returning to Oddanchathram with the amount obtained through the sale of vegetables in Kerala.
“They produced certain bills, but the documents are not proper enough to substantiate their claims,” he said.
