Bengaluru: Cash in bulk is now allegedly being transported to North Karnataka for illicit poll expenditure. The Income Tax Department, Karnataka & Goa, on Saturday seized over Rs 4.5 crore from various search operations that were conducted to combat the use of money for voter inducement in the ongoing Lok Sabha elections.
The second phase of Karnataka is on April 23 for the remaining 14 Parliamentary constituencies.
The I-T sleuths seized Rs 2.30 crore from a cash handler, who was reportedly transporting the money for poll expenditure from Bengaluru to Shivamogga and Bhadravati. The cash in Rs 2,000 denomination was stuffed inside a car stepney. “Interestingly, he 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 follow-up searches are underway in Bhadravati, where a further seizure of Rs 60 lakh is expected," added the official. In the second instance, on the basis of local intelligence, I-T officials searched the house of a bank employee in Navanagar in Bagalkote under Section 132 of the Income Tax Act and seized Rs 1 crore unaccounted money, which he had reportedly accumulated for distribution to voters.
In a third search operation, I-T sleuths seized over Rs 10 lakh cash from another ‘mule’ in Vijaypura. In Goa they seized over Rs 30 lakh from two brothers, who are in jewellery business.
“Total cash seizure on Saturday from Karnataka and Goa is over Rs 4.5 crore,” added the spokesperson.
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