More than Rs 1 crore seized in Puducherry

Puducherry, May 13: Ahead of the Assembly polls, unaccounted cash to the tune of Rs 1.10 crore, including Rs 65 lakh suspected to be used for distribution to voters, was today seized in two different places in the Union Territory, officials said.

A team of Income Tax officials seized Rs 65 lakhs from the premises of a private firm here following a raid conducted on a tip-off. The cash was suspected to be used for inducing voters, Deputy District Election Officer M Thillaivel said.

In a release issue here, Thillaivel said the election authorities and I-T department have intensified steps to prevent hoarding of cash in houses or business firms in and around Puducherry without documents as part of efforts to prevent malpractices.

In another seizure, members of the Static Surveillance team of the election department recovered Rs 45 lakhs from a car coming here from neighbouring Tamil Nadu.

The occupants of the car did not have any document for carrying the cash and an investigation had been launched by the police, District Election officer P Jawahar said in a release.

Assembly elections in Puducherry are slated for May 16, while the results will be out on May 19.

PTI