Coimbatore: Amid allegations of huge amounts of cash and doles being used to ‘buy’ votes in poll-bound Tamil Nadu comes another shocker. Officials of the Election Commission today seized around Rs 570 crore in cash from three containers in Tamil Nadu’s Tiruppur district.
The occupants of the vehicles however claimed that the cash was for inter-bank money transfer. Officials said that personnel accompanying the containers told them that they were transferring Rs 570 crore from State Bank of India in Coimbatore to Vishakhapatnam branches. However, they did not have all the necessary documents, they said, adding that efforts were on to ascertain the veracity of their claim.
The flying squad of the election department, along with paramilitary forces, seized the cash early Saturday morning during a routine vehicle check on Perumanallur-Kunnathur Bypas, police said.
The containers escorted by three cars, did not halt, but officials chased them and stopped them near Chengapalli. A check revealed the amount, kept in many boxes, inside the containers, they said.
The men in cars, who claimed to be policemen from Andhra Pradesh but were not in uniform, told the officials they were transferring Rs 570 crore from State Bank of India in Coimbatore to Vishakhapatnam branches. However, they could not produce any proper documents to substantiate their claims, following which the vehicles were taken to the District Collectorate in Tirupur.
Asked whey they had sped away without stopping, they told the police they feared it was a robbery attempt and that they were unaware that the officials were from the election department.
Bank officials from Coimbatore and Vishakhapatnam were informed and are rushing to the spot, police said. Polling in Assembly election in Tamil Nadu will be held on May 16.
(With PTI inputs)
