18,000 pairs of free slippers seized in Salem by the election flying squad

Salem: A whopping 18,000 pairs of slippers worth Rs 31.77 lakh stashed away in a private school ostensibly for free distribution to children were seized by the election flying squad in Salem on Saturday.

As TN goes to polls on May 16, the Election Commission (EC) has ordered a halt in distribution of all freebies by the government. Defying EC’s orders, 18,000 pairs of slippers in 360 containers wrapped in gunny cloth arrived in a container lorry at a private school in Salem. The main opposition DMK, which got wind of the distribution of free slippers, rushed to the private school where the slippers cargo had arrived. Immediately, the DMK men alerted the election officer and RDO, Vijay Babu.

The flying squad led by Cooperative sub-registrar, K.R. Rajendran descended on the school premises and conducted a check. The flying squad who found slippers in the container asked the officials to keep the entire 360 cartons of consignment in a room at the private school and seal it.