Chennai: The Madras High Court on Monday ordered a CBI probe into the into the complaint on the alleged attempt to transfer Rs. 570 crore from Coimbatore to Visakhapatnam by the State Bank of India (SBI) during polls.
DMK leader TKS Elangovan had filed a complaint alleging that the trucks had bogus registration numbers and that the currency bundles had Axis Bank seal, even though the cash was claimed by State Bank of India.
The DMK has alleged that the officials had conspired together and created fake documents to claim the money belonged to SBI.
"If a prima facie case is made out the CBI shall initiate appropriate action in accordance with law," Justice R. Subbiah said while passing orders on the petiioner Elangovan.
Earlier petitioner had claimed that the huge sum was tainted hawala money transported for bribing the voters during the May 16 Assembly elections.
Election Officials on poll duty had recovered the money from three trucks during the elections in May.
The flying squad of the election department, along with paramilitary forces, seized the cash on early morning, during a routine vehicle check on Perumanallur-Kunnathur Bypass, police said.
The containers escorted by three cars, did not halt, but officials chased them and stopped them near Chengapalli.
The men in cars, claimed to be policemen from Andhra Pradesh, were not in uniform. They told the officials that they were transferring Rs 570 crore from State Bank of India in Coimbatore to Vishakhapatnam branches.
However, they could not produce any proper document to substantiate their claims, following which the vehicles were taken to the District Collectorate in Tirupur.
When police asked them the reason of speeding away without stopping, they told that they feared robbery attempt and were unaware of the officials were from the election department.
