CHENNAI: Election officials in Chennai seized 100 dummy Electronic Voting Machine (EVM) units and 20,600 visiting cards from a goods auto-rickshaw near Arumbakkam Metro station in the Anna Nagar constituency on early Friday. The items were taken into custody for verification.
The interception was carried out by a Static Surveillance Team (SST) led by Sri Sathyan, assistant engineer of Zone-4 at the Greater Chennai Corporation, during a routine vehicle check on 100-Feet Road ahead of the Assembly elections. The seized dummy EVMs were made of plastic and thermocol, while the visiting cards featured a photograph of R Vaithiyalingam, a DMK candidate from the Orathanadu Assembly constituency.
The auto driver, M Ganesan, 50, a resident of Anna Nagar West Extension, and another individual accompanying the consignment were detained and taken to the Zone-8 Anna Nagar election office, where the seized materials were deposited.
Officials discovered small red stickers (bindis) affixed inside the visiting cards, prompting further scrutiny. A preliminary inquiry revealed that the consignment was sent by K Selvam, 36, of Angammal Colony in Salem district. The driver told officials he had picked up the parcels from Vadapalani based on instructions from Sivaraman, the owner of a manpower firm in Coimbatore, and was transporting them to a parcel service in Koyambedu for onward dispatch to Pudukkottai.
The driver and the person in charge have been directed to appear for further questioning. The seizure was made by an SST team comprising officials from the Greater Chennai Corporation and city police. Investigations are ongoing.