Rs 1.48 crore ‘bribe’ cash linked to AMMK seized from Theni

The cash was neatly packed in 94 packets and envelopes on which the ward number, number of voters and the amount of Rs 300 per voter was written, I-T Director General (investigations) B Murali Kumar said, after the overnight raids concluded at 5:30 am.  

Late on Tuesday night, the area witnessed unrest after cops fired in the air to disperse supporters of AMMK who objected to the seizure. 

Photographs of the store clicked by the sleuths showed bundles of Rs 500 and some of Rs 2,000 notes. Four people were arrested and cases were filed against 150 people. 

However, Thanga Tamilselvan, propaganda secretary, AMMK, who’s also contesting from Theni, said the whole incident was a theatrical exaggeration by the AIADMK as the ruling party feared losing in the election.

Meanwhile, Tirupur police took two AMMK functionaries into custody for allegedly distributing cash to voters on Wednesday. Acting on a tip-off, a flying squad team rushed to a street near 15 Velampalayam. The duo, Prabhu and Vinod Kumar, were present there on a two-wheeler and the team found Rs 5000 in cash, party pamphlets and voters list of the 14th ward of Sirupooluvapatty, in it.

In a related incident, a flying squad team seized Rs 43 lakh cash from the garden of former MLA Ethirkottai SG Subramanian’s relative in Sattur, Virudhunagar district, on Wednesday. Subramanian is one of the 18 MLAs disqualified by TN Assembly Speaker P Dhanapal. Subramanian is contesting from the Sattur seat.

What lies ahead for Theni, Karur post seizure, violence?

Chennai: Two confidential reports, one from Karur district collector T Anbhazhagan against the Congress candidate Jothi Mani and another from Theni district collector Pallavi Baldev, to the election commission is causing sleepless nights for candidates from these two Lok Sabha seats.

Election commission officials said that a detailed investigation with regard to these allegations have been sought and the same will be forwarded to the EC.

“Already a preliminary report to ECI has been sent on Wednesday morning. Till now there is no update on both these seats and the elections are likely to go ahead as per the earlier notification,” an informed official said. If the investigation that follows reveals inducement of cash for voters, then there is a possibility of countermanding the poll exercise even after the elections are held, according to EC sources. 

However, poll officials clarified that there have been no cases in TN where the elections have been countermanded post polls. In the Karur incident, T Anbhazhagan had registered his complaints against the Congress candidate Jothi Mani for allegedly instigating violence at district collectorate and has mentioned about the law and order prevailing in the district, where the AIADMK leader and Lok Sabha deputy speaker m Thambidurai is in fray.   

EC sources said that the polls would continue as scheduled unless the Collector who is also the District Election Officer cannot guarantee safe and free elections in the district.