Election squad officials in the city seized ₹2.01 crore in cash at Chamarajapet on Saturday. The money “belongs to the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)“ said Munish Moudgil, model code of conduct, nodal officer, Bengaluru Urban district. A case has been registered in the Cottonpet station.
The complainant, Ravi Asuti, head of one of the static surveillance teams, said he intercepted a car and checked it to find two bags of cash.
The two people in the car, Venkatesh Prasad and Gangadhar, produced a document which said that the money was part of ₹5 crore drawn from an account in Canara Bank on March 27, and was being sent to be distributed to booth workers of the BJP in Mysuru, Kodagu, Chamarajanagar, and Dakshina Kannada, the complainant said.
Lokesh Ambekallu, office secretary, BJP, Bengaluru city, has been named as Accused No. 1 in the FIR.
The complainant said transporting this quantum of money in cash was a violation of the Election Commission of India norms. He also said he had alerted the Income Tax Department, but they had refused to seize the money.