Mumbai: On Tuesday night, the Election Commission of India’s flying squad seized Rs. 72 lakhs worth of cash from the Pant Nagar area in Ghatkopar. The matter surfaced during the night patrolling when a car was checked under suspicion, which had four bags full of cash.
A white-coloured Tata Harrier car was parked outside Saraswat Cooperative Bank, located near Nilyog Mall, Ghatkopar railway station road on the east side.
The team, consisting of election commission officials and a Pant Nagar police official named Vilas Gaikwad (PSI) checked the vehicle which had two individuals, and on the back of the vehicle, they found four bags. Inside these bags, the officials said there were bundles of Rs. 500 notes.
The assistant returning officer Ravindra Thackeray was called on the spot and is also part of the Static Surveillance Team (SST). All the officials along with the individuals found inside the car, were taken to the Pant Nagar police station for further inquiry. The Income Tax (IT) department too was informed about the same, who later took the found cash for verification.
The police officials part of the SST conducted spot and general panchanama, which was later recorded in the police diary. Meanwhile, the cash-counting machines were brought and the IT officials counted the money.
The total amount found was 72,39,675 in the form of Rs. 500, 200, 100, 50, 20 notes, said police officials. Meanwhile, according to police sources at Pant Nagar, the two individuals in the car were identified as Dilip Nathani and Atul Nathani, both residents of Ghatkopar.
“They introduced themselves as income tax consultants and the reason for carrying such a huge amount in cash, they said, is for work purposes as March is the end of the financial year,” said a police source.
EC's flying squad is part of the SST. The duty of the SST includes the seizure and release of cash and other items during the election process for necessary action and compliance. Maharashtra's SST was formed amid the Lok Sabha elections that started on Tuesday.
