Cops seize over Rs 6 crore cash in run up to Bihar polls

Patna, Oct 12 Large amounts of unaccounted cash have been seized by the Bihar police during checking of vehicles. According to the state Election Commission more than Rs six crore has been seized till now.

A senior Bihar police official said that during a vehicle search operation on the Jharkhand border, Rs 8,43,000 was recovered from a passenger bus on Sunday. In this case a Dhanbad resident Sanjit Kumar was taken into police custody.

Similarly, Rs 19,50,000 was seized from an air-conditioned bogie of Bihar Sampark Kranti special train at Chhapra junction on Sunday. Two people have been detained in this case who dealt in electronic items in Bihar's Madhubani district.

During a vehicle search operation launched by the state police in Purnia district on Sunday, Rs 6,78,000 was recovered from a Scorpio car. Police officials said this is not the first time that such search operations have been conducted during the elections and cash recovered.

Amid the Model Code of Conduct coming into effect for the Bihar assembly elections on Saturday, Rs 3,80,000 was recovered from a motorcycle compartment during a vehicle search operation conducted by Magistrate Anuranjan Mandal and sub-inspector Sohail Khan in Katihar's Barari police station area at Banka Chowk.

Police officials said there is a bar on any individual carrying more than Rs 50,000 under the Election Model Code of Conduct.

On October 6, police recovered nearly Rs one crore from a vehicle in the Vishanpur police station area of Dharbhanga district. An official said the police had conducted a vehicle check near the Hanuman Nagar checkpost where the police had earlier seized nearly Rs 1 crore 11 lakh from a Scorpio car.

Earlier, Rs 74 lakh cash was recovered from a vehicle by the police near Biscomaun Bhawan in Patna's Gandhi Maidan police station area. RJD flags were also found in the vehicle.

A state election department official said that checkposts have been put up at more than 15 places in the state where vehicle search operations were being carried out. He said that more than Rs six crore cash has been seized along with 150 gm brown sugar and 393 kg cannabis (ganja).

( With inputs from IANS )