Rs 1.93 lakh cash found strewn on road in Edappadi

COIMBATORE: Election authorities in Western districts seized huge amounts of unaccounted cash in a string of incidents in the run-up to assembly polls.

In Edappadi in Salem, where AIADMK general secretary Edappadi K Palaniswami is in the fray, election officials recovered Rs 1.93 lakh in Rs 500 notes found scattered across a road.

Acting on a tip-off received at the election control room about alleged cash distribution to voters, a team rushed to the location near Jalakandapuram and was startled to find currency notes strewn across the stretch.

Officials collected the cash, which totalled Rs 1.93 lakh, and handed it over to the Returning Officer. An investigation is underway to trace the source of the money and determine whether it was meant for voter bribery.

In a separate operation, officials seized Rs 22 lakh from a district office of the DMK in Ooty. The seizure followed intelligence inputs suggesting that cash intended for distribution to voters had been stored at the premises.

Acting on the tip-off, flying squad personnel conducted a late-night search and recovered the unaccounted money. The Income Tax Department has been informed, and party functionaries are currently being questioned in connection with the seizure.

In another major haul, election flying squad officials confiscated Rs 90 lakh from a car near Modakurichi in Erode district.

The seizure was made following a late-night tip-off about the movement of cash in the area. Upon intercepting and searching the vehicle, officials found bundles of currency amounting to Rs 90 lakh.

The occupant, identified as Aravindan, claimed that the money was meant for business-related expenses but failed to produce valid supporting documents. The cash was subsequently seized and handed over to the Income Tax Department for further investigation.

Officials said investigations into all three seizures are ongoing, and appropriate action will follow based on the findings.