Amid the upcoming two-phase Assembly elections in West Bengal, significant amounts of cash have been discovered by the state police in two separate locations within the state over the past 12 hours. One of these locations is Baruipur in the South 24 Parganas district, while the other is the Alipurduar district, known for its tribal population.
In light of concerns about the potential use of illicit funds to influence voters in the upcoming polls, the Election Commission of India (ECI) has deployed 294 general observers in West Bengal. This move makes West Bengal unique among the five states and Union Territories heading to elections, with each of the 294 Assembly constituencies in the state being overseen by a general observer.
Additionally, the ECI has assigned 188 police observers, the highest number among the states and Union Territories going to polls, and 100 expenditure observers, the second-highest in this category. In Baruipur, a motorcyclist was detained by the police during a routine checkpoint inspection in the Joytala area, where around nine lakh rupees were found in his possession. The individual, identified as Samad Ali Sardar, is from the Tilpi locality under the Joynagar Police Station’s jurisdiction.
During a routine search operation in the Joytala area, police stopped a motorcyclist who raised suspicions. Upon searching his bike, they discovered nine lakh rupees in a bag. The police reported that the motorcyclist was traveling from Tilpi to Kurali. An investigation has been initiated to determine the source of the recovered funds, and the detained individual is currently under interrogation.
Meanwhile, in Alipurduar in north Bengal, officers received information about a couple staying at a hotel near the town’s Chowpati crossing with a significant amount of cash. The couple, originally from Chirang in Assam, had checked into the hotel on Tuesday and left in their private vehicle the following day. Acting on this information, officers from the police’s Anti-Corruption Branch intercepted the vehicle and found Rs 275,000 in cash.
The vehicle, with an Assam registration number plate, belongs to a businessman from Assam as per the owner’s claim. The couple mentioned that they had traveled from Chirang to Alipurduar for a leisure trip. However, given the election environment, authorities are taking the cash recovery seriously and are yet to receive a satisfactory explanation from the couple regarding the source of the funds. Efforts are ongoing to determine the origin of the funds, and appropriate action will be taken if the money was intended for election-related purposes.
