Election squads seize Rs 51 lakh cash in Thane

One vehicle was stopped in Parsik Nagar, Kharegaon, and Rs 11.26 lakh was seized from it; on the Thakurli-Kalyan Road, officials caught a man with Rs 40 lakh, who claimed he was a builder and the cash was to pay tax

Seizures of cash are increasingly being observed in the city and neighbouring areas, as the election nears. On Thursday night, police and election officials managed to seize nearly R51 lakh from Thane. The police have, as of now, ruled out any political angle to the money.

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Around 11.30 pm, Kalwa police and election officials, in a nakabandi, stopped a Ford EcoSport near Parsik Nagar, Kharegaon. When they checked the car, they found a handbag in the boot with Rs 11.26 lakh in it. The four people in the car claimed the money belonged to a financial company. Police have handed them over to the Income Tax department.

“They claimed the cash was of a finance company, but why were they carrying it in the night?” questioned a Kalwa police official. In another incident, the flying squad of the Election Commission stopped a white-coloured Toyota Fortuner and seized around Rs 40 lakh cash. The occupant claimed to be a builder, Manor Roy, and said he was taking the cash to pay his taxes.

“We are checking his details and why he was carrying the cash. He was stopped on the Thakurli-Kalyan Road on Friday around 3 pm,” said an Election Commission official. The police further stated that carrying such large amounts of cash was illegal anyway, and that the I-T department would take action as required. The Thane police had earlier caught around Rs 17 lakh in cash from Kopri, Thane city.

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