Meghalaya Elections: BSF seizes huge amount of cash from near Bangladesh border

The Election Commission had issued directions to the enforcement agencies to shut the international and interstate border from February 24 till March 2 in the state in view of the Meghalaya elections.

A day after Meghalaya's international border with Bangladesh was sealed ahead of the February 27 Assembly elections, the BSF seized a huge amount cash from near the zero line in East Khasi Hills district, an officer said on Sunday.

Elections to the 59 assembly constituencies in Meghalaya will be held on Monday from 7 am to 4 pm and the votes will be counted on March 2. Acting on suspicious movement, BSF seized a huge amount of cash from near the international border in two separate operations in the past 48 hours, a BSF officer told PTI.

In the first instance, the BSF deployed in Hat Thymmai area of the Indo-Bangladesh border seized a bag containing 18 lakh Bangladesh Taka. The carrier escaped taking advantage of the thick vegetation and darkness, he said.

In a second incident, BSF troops impounded Rs 3.12 lakh cash in Ryngku village when the troops acted upon suspicious movement of a group of people near the international border.

The seized cash was handed over to the concerned authorities as per law, the BSF officer said, adding that the BSF has heightened vigil along the 443 km-long international border here.

The Election Commission had issued directions to the enforcement agencies to shut the international and interstate border from February 24 till March 2 in the state in view of the Meghalaya elections.