As part of the ongoing checks by the Income Tax Department on account of the model code of conduct put in place for the Lok Sabha polls, sleuths on Saturday recovered Rs 2.3 crore cash which was hidden inside a spare tyre.
Based on a tipoff, I-T officials tracked down the cash handler who was transporting cash from Bengaluru to Shivamogga and Bhadravathi. A video which has been doing the rounds on social media and messaging platforms, shows cash is being taken out of a small hole in the tyre.
#WATCH: Rs 2.30 cr in cash stuffed inside the spare tire in a car seized by Income-Tax officials. The cash was being transported from Bengaluru to Shivamogga. #Karnataka pic.twitter.com/yUeRdKVyzY
— ANI (@ANI) April 20, 2019
“Interestingly, he (the handler) had removed at least four notes of Rs 2,000 from each bundle of 100 such notes, possibly as his commission,” said an official spokesperson.
The spokesperson added, “Follow-up searches are underway in Bhadravati, where a further seizure of Rs 60 lakh is expected."
This seizure was a part of total Rs 4.5 crore seized by I-T officials on Saturday alone.
Shivamogga goes to polls on April 23 like other 13 seats in the state’s northern parts, where it is a straight fight between the Congress-JD(S) alliance and the BJP.
The Election Commission on Sunday evening announced that during the MCC period, the I-T Department has seized cash worth Rs 17,69,98,570 and other items worth Rs 7,03,08,780.
In addition to this, the 1,512 Flying Squads and 1,837 Static Surveillance Teams, 320 Excise Teams and 180 Commercial Tax teams formed by the EC have so far seized cash worth Rs 16,80,30,371, around 18,403.50 litres of liquor worth Rs.64,67,863.86 and around 143.1 kg of drugs worth Rs.7,52,700.
Another 9,38,376.06 litres of iquor worth Rs 36,85,81,311, drugs (14.977 kg) worth Rs 4,48,000 were also seized by the Excise Department.