At 1 a.m. on a Sunday, vehicles zip through the barricade of the Langar Houz police check post in Hyderabad that has been set up to curb the clandestine flow of money, alcohol, narcotics, and contraband goods in the run-up to the Telangana Assembly elections on November 30. Inside the makeshift police outpost, three police officials are engrossed on their phones even as a walkie-talkie perched on a plastic chair next to them constantly buzzes with messages. In one corner, two CCTV cameras silently watch over the proceedings.
This check post, placed between the Cyberabad and Hyderabad Commissionerates, about 10 km apart, is just one of the dozen such outposts set up by the Election Commission of India to enforce the Model Code of Conduct in the poll-bound State.
The polling date is still more than a month away, but the check posts have already made a startling seizure of illicit assets, amounting to ₹340.11 crore as of 9 a.m. on October 25. This includes gold and precious metals worth ₹156.07 crore, ₹119.44 crore in cash, and liquor worth ₹18.67 crore. However, the income tax department says that only ₹1.76 crore is unaccounted for. The rest has been returned to the rightful owners.
