Cash Seizure Redressal Committee to look into amounts confiscated at check-posts

Mysore/Mysuru: The Static Surveillance Teams and Flying Squads that are monitoring strict implementation of election Model Code of Conduct have seized Rs. 11,79,500 unaccounted cash from Rammanahalli check-post last evening.

The cash was being transported in a KSRTC bus heading to Mysuru from Bannur and the incident came to light during routine checking. Not only private vehicles are being checked but the flying squads are also screening KSRTC buses as it is widely suspected that these Government buses might be used as cash carriers to avoid checking.

The money has now been handed over to the Income Tax Department for further investigation as any seizure above Rs. 10 lakh will be probed by the Income Tax Department.

 Speaking to Star of Mysore this morning, Assistant Commissioner and Election Officer Kamala Bai said that as of now an ‘NC case’ has been booked and the whereabouts of the person carrying the cash in the KSRTC bus is being probed.

“The District Cash Seizure Redressal Committee will look into the case and a suitable decision will be taken. Till now in all the elections whenever cash is seized, the money would be deposited in the treasury and the owner of the cash would get back the money after producing documents only after the election process was over. But now, the Cash Seizure Redressal Committee will look into the genuineness and credible evidence of the cash transportation and if the Committee is satisfied with the records, it will release the cash back to the owner within a week,” Kamala Bai said.

Other seizures made: According to the daily seizure report released by the Mysuru Deputy Commissioner’s Office this morning, Rs. 29,79,500 has been handed over to the Income Tax Department till now. The Static Surveillance Teams have seized Rs. 71,81,855 and the Flying Squads have seized Rs. 11,36,630.

Over 137 grams of gold, food kits worth Rs. 19,69,647 and kitchen utensils worth Rs. 26,320 have been recovered. In all, 59,868.21 litres of liquor worth Rs. 1,52,57,800 has been confiscated. Drugs worth Rs. 25,000 have been seized.

State-wide, the Election Commission has made seizures totalling Rs. 60.99 crore, including cash, liquor, drugs, and metals. The squads seized cash and articles worth nearly Rs. 58 crore even before the elections were announced.

After the Model Code of Conduct came into force, the amount of cash seized was Rs. 17.36 crore, while liquor worth Rs. 22.35 crore, narcotics worth Rs. 42.66 lakh, precious metals worth Rs. 9.15 crore, and other items (freebies) worth Rs. 11.69 crore were seized, said a press release from the Office of the Chief Electoral Officer, Karnataka.

 In the last 48 hours, Flying Squads and Police authorities seized 8.569 kg of gold worth Rs. 1.47 crore in C.V. Raman Nagar Constituency,  Bengaluru. Likewise, the Income Tax Department has seized cash totalling Rs. 3.36 crore in Padmanabhanagar Constituency, Bengaluru, stated the press release.