BENGALURU: Members of the Flying Surveillance Team (FST) and police seized unaccounted cash of Rs 1.4 crore from a brand new Mercedes-Benz car near Ganesha Temple, just a stone’s throw away from Jayanagar police station, on Saturday. On receiving information from her higher-ups around 11.15 am, Nikitha M Chinnaswamy, MCC nodal officer, along with FST and police personnel rushed to 32nd Cross, 7th Main Road, Jayanagar, where the Mercedes-Benz car, which is yet to be registered, and a Volkswagen car were parked. Noticing some bags inside the Mercedes-Benz, Nikitha questioned its occupants.
BJP, Cong blame each other
One of them told her that the bags contained mangoes. At the same time, the election officers, who received information about the cash bags being handed over, reached the spot.
Seeing the FST and police personnel, around five men jumped out of the two cars and ran away. Meanwhile, a few people who were sitting inside a Toyota Fortuner SUV, which was parked a few yards away from the two cars, sped away. A man on a scooter near the spot fled too. Those who were in the Mercedes-Benz car locked the vehicle before escaping. The officials summoned a mechanic and broke open the windshields of the car. After opening the doors, the officials found the cash bags inside the car. Both cars were towed away to Jayanagar police station.
Nikitha told TNSE that her higher-ups informed her about the cash bags and the white Mercedes-Benz and red Volkswagen cars and the Toyota Fortuner SUV. “After reaching the spot, I questioned the people inside the car. They panicked and ran away,” she said.
It is said that those in the two cars and the SUV were waiting near the temple to collect cash from the man who came there on the scooter. The owner of the Volkswagen car has been identified as Somashekar and the scooter owner as Dhananjay.
Reacting to an allegation that the cash belonged to some Congress leaders, Transport Minister Ramalinga Reddy said, “I learnt that a BJP corporator was at the spot where the cash bags were seized. Going by this, one can allege that the cash belonged to BJP leaders. Police have seized the cars. Let them investigate. I appeal to the EC to look into the matter seriously.”
MP Tejasvi Surya said, “The Congress is attempting to bribe voters in Bengaluru South constituency. The seizure of unaccounted cash in Jayanagar indicates this. The owners of the vehicles are purportedly close to some Congress leaders.”