Seizures surpass Rs 10 crore, more flying squads formed

With just three more days for the urban local body polls on February 19, Tamil Nadu State Election Commission had intensified the drive against the distribution of freebies and had started seizing unaccounted cash from the public. The actual seizure will be more as the evaluation is done on daily basis, sources said.

According to informed official sources, the overall seizure value of cash, liquor, and freebies had surpassed the Rs 10 crore mark. A press communication from the SEC said that cash seizure till February 10 is Rs 6.89 crore and till last week liquor bottles worth Rs 1.01 crore were seized. 

Suspected freebies like laptops, mobile phones, and utensils had also been seized by the static surveillance teams and mobile squads, the release said.

Meanwhile, Greater Chennai Corporation had also increased the number of flying squad teams as the city is only a few days away from civic polls.

A high-level meeting at Ripon Buildings chaired by Chennai Corporation Commissioner Gagandeep Singh Bedi and City Police Commissioner Shankar Jiwal decided to increase the number of flying squads. “The number of flying squad teams will be increased to 90 from present 45 from Thursday. Each zone will have 6 teams. Also, more than 18,000 police personnel and 4,000 home guard personnel will be deployed on the poll day for security,” he said.

Bedi told reporters that the flying squad teams have been asked to intensify rounds to prevent cash distribution. He requested the residents to alert the civic body by calling 1800 425 7012.