Rs. 537 crore worth of cash, liquor, drugs seized since August 2023 in Karnataka ahead of election

Mysore/Mysuru: Election Officers at a check-post in Mandya have seized a significant sum of unaccounted cash, totalling Rs. 99.20 lakh. The discovery was made inside a car stopped at Kongaboranadoddi check-post situated in Maddur taluk (Nidaghatta) along Mysuru-Bengaluru Expressway on Monday.

In response to the Lok Sabha Election announcement, the  Static Surveillance Team (SST) stationed at the Kongaboranadoddi check-post near Maddur intercepted a car (KA-54-M-4030) travelling from Bengaluru to  K.R. Pet at 7 pm. The cash was found to be in the possession of an areca nut trader.

Although the trader claimed to have acquired the Rs. 99.20 lakh through areca nut sales in Bengaluru, he failed to substantiate this claim with documents. Upon meticulous inspection, bundles of currency notes were discovered concealed within a gunny bag. Necessary procedures have been initiated to transfer seized amount to the Income Tax Department for further investigation, as detailed in a press release from the Mandya Election Officer.

Rs. 15.89 crore since Mar. 16

As on Mar. 18, in 24 hours across Karnataka, the Election Commission has reported cumulative seizures exceeding Rs. 15.53 crore. This figure adds to the total seizures since March 16, coinciding with the implementation of the Model Code of Conduct, which has now reached Rs. 15.89 crore. These seizures encompass cash, liquor, drugs and precious metals.

Following the initiation of the Model Code of Conduct, cash seizures amounted to Rs. 45.76 lakh, while liquor seizures totalled Rs. 15.37 crore and narcotics seized stood at Rs. 56.64 lakh, according to a statement released by the office of the Chief Electoral Officer, Karnataka.

Furthermore, within 48 hours of the election announcement, authorities removed a total of 1,34,307 instances of wall writings, posters, banners and other defacements from public property. Notably, one case was registered for the violation of defacement of public property in Kolar CMC limits under the Karnataka Open Places (Provisions of Disfigurement) Act, as mentioned in the release.

Rs. 537 crore since August

Election Officers have reported that polling personnel have seized a substantial amount of cash and other items valued at Rs. 537 crore since August of last year in preparation for the Lok Sabha election. These seizures comprise Rs. 151 crore in cash, liquor valued at Rs. 42 crore, drugs amounting to Rs. 126 crore, gold worth Rs. 71 crore, and miscellaneous items totalling Rs. 144 crore. From Aug. 1, 2023, to Mar. 14, 2024, a total of 4,710 First Information Reports (FIRs) have been lodged in connection with these seizures.