The flying squads and static surveillance teams deployed in poll-bound Arunachal Pradesh on April 4 confiscated more than Rs 1.38 crore while being engaged in vehicles checking in various parts of the state, an election official said.
“The flying squads and static surveillance teams along with the police today seized a whopping amount of Rs 1 crore at Kanubari check post in Longding district, Rs 22.20 lakh in Itanagar Capital Region, and another Rs 16.10 lakh at Seppa in East Kameng district during vehicles checking,” Toko Babu, officer on special duty (OSD) to the chief electoral officer (CEO), Arunachal Pradesh, said.
With this, the total cash seized so far since the model code of conduct (MCC) came into force rose to Rs 5,48,63,111, while the cumulative figure of cash and the monetary value of other seized items including liquor, drugs/narcotics, precious metals and freebies stood at Rs 14,05,46,388, he said.
When contacted, Longding SP Dekio Gumja said that a joint team of FST, SST and police seized Rs 1 crore at Kanubari check post, Longding from an SUV bearing Assam registration number from one Harshvardhan Singh.
He said that the Income Tax department is being informed about the cash seizure.
“Now, the case will be investigated by the I-T department and subsequently, action will be taken as per the SOP (standard operating procedure),” he said.
Initial investigation suggests that the cash was meant for labourers’ payment by a construction company namely, Badri Rai and Company, whose construction activities are going on at three places in the region, including Sonari Medical College, Assam, Brigade Headquarters, Khonsa (Arunachal Pradesh), and Assam Police Battalion, Sivasagar.
Informing that the election machinery deployed in checking ‘money culture’ in the poll-bound Arunachal will confiscate more than Rs 50,000 cash while being transported, the SP said: “Our duty is to seize illegal cash and intimate the DEO about the same.”
Candidates in the state have been asked to open separate bank accounts and incur their poll-related expenses from them, to ensure greater transparency and ease of monitoring of election expenses, a representative of one of the contesting candidates said.
Arunachal Pradesh is going to simultaneously vote for 50 out of 60 assembly seats (as 10 candidates already won the election unopposed) and two Lok Sabha seats on April 19.
Meanwhile, in a related development, the Arunachal Pradesh government on April 4 ordered that issuance of import permits of packaged liquor, bulk spirit and export permits for packaged liquor shall remain suspended with immediate effect till the completion of the election process or until further order, whichever is earlier. However, chief secretary Dharmendra said that liquor permits for military and paramilitary units may continue to be issued.
This ‘development’ came in the wake of reported incidents of cross-border transportation of illicit liquor across the inter-state borders as well as storage of liquor in unauthorized places during this election period.
