Close to ₹12 crore has been seized in the search and seize operations by the Static Surveillance Teams (SSTs) deployed across the State so far in the run-up to the Assembly elections in December.
A quick look at some of the hauls. Police and the SSTs have stepped up vigil not only on the highways, inter-state check posts but also on the main roads in cities. As a result, the squads have made significant progress in seizing cash in Adilabad, Nizamabad, Karimnagar, Bhupalpalli, Nalgonda, Suryapet and Khammam districts.
The sensational seizure of ₹10 crore in cash being transported in a car on October 19 in Adilabad district made the cumulative haul of ₹1.78 crore of unaccounted money seized during the entire period of the election in 2014 look paltry.
Big and small
Two more seizures of ₹2.5 lakh and ₹3.14 lakh on October 22 in Adilabad and Nirmal districts have taken the total to about ₹10.06 crore. The first seizure was by the SST at the Pipparwada toll plaza, about 3 km inside the Inter-State border of Telangana and Maharashtra in Jainad mandal of Adilabad district. The sheer audacity of the duo transporting the huge quantum of cash in three sacks in denominations of ₹2,000 (37 wads) and ₹500 (22 wads) had surprised election authorities.According to sources, the owner of the car carrying the cash from Jam in Wardha district of Maharashtra to Hassan in Karnataka told investigating officers that his intention was to evade income tax. The IT dept. apparently took over from here.
The SST at Gudihathnoor in Adilabad district seized ₹2.5 lakh and the SST at Gamjal toll plaza in Nirmal district seized ₹3.14 lakh from businessmen on October 22 as they failed to prove that the money was being transported for business purpose. The police of Cheriyal in Siddipet district have seized ₹6 lakh from a person who has been taking money without any valid documents. According to D. Joel Davis, Commissioner of Police, a static surveillance team led by Cheriyal CI Raghu made checking at Gurajagunta Chowrasta where one Nagilla Tirupati Reddy was caught with ₹6 lakh cash.
He failed to provide relevant documents pertaining to the cash hence it was seized.
