In two separate operations in the city ahead of the general elections, cash worth Rs 78 lakh, including Rs one lakh from Dr Vijaya Nandurkar, BSP candidate from Bhandara-Gondiya Lok Sabha seat, have been seized, police said on Sunday.
In the first operation, Rs 77 lakh were recovered from a vehicle near Chandrabhagha Naka on Saturday night, police said.
Based on a tip-off that some people were carrying huge cash, Tirora police swung into action and found a vehicle parked opposite the Gondia District Central Cooperative Bank (GDCCB). During a search, Rs 77 lakh cash was recovered from a bag and a tin box kept inside the car, police said.
The driver of the vehicle and an accountant, who was accompanying him, failed to give satisfactory answers about the cash, following which it was seized and later handed over to the tehsil treasury in Tirora. Investigation into this is on, police said.
In the second incident that took place near Karanja T-point on Sunday morning, the static surveillance team (SST) intercepted a car, in which Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) candidate for Bhandara-Gondiya seat Dr Vijaya Nandurkar was travelling along with her husband and a few others.
The SST carried out a search of the vehicle and recovered Rs 1 lakh from Nandurkar's purse. When asked why she was carrying the cash, she failed to provide satisfactory answers, following which it was seized, police said.
When the officials were busy completing the formalities, around six BSP workers came to the spot and entered into an altercation with them and created a ruckus, police said.
A case under IPC sections 171 E (bribery), 186 (obstructing public servant in discharge of public functions), and 34 (common intention) others was registered against Nandurkar and others, including the BSP workers.
Election to Bhandara-Gondiya Lok Sabha seat will be held on April 11.
Deputy Collector Subhash Chaudhari said it was perhaps the first time that cash is been recovered directly from the election candidate.
As per the rules, after the model code of conduct comes into effect, a candidate or his supporter cannot carry over Rs 50,000 in cash.
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