Tamil Nadu: Election Commission flying squads double up as ‘cops’, nab ‘thief’ with Rs 1.5Lakh
TIRUPPUR: A flying squad team involved in vehicle checks at Kangeyam Road in Tiruppur was stunned to find wads of currency notes worth Rs 1.5 lakh, all in Rs 500 denomination, tumbling out of the tattered saree of a destitute woman at Nallur near Tiruppur city late on Thursday.
According to police sources, the drunk woman initially claimed that she got the money by seeking alms at a temple festival but later disclosed that she had stolen the money from a house in the Adi Dravidar colony in the town. A person claiming to be the owner of a house in the locality had filed a complaint about the missing money on Friday and the money will be returned to the claimant after proper inquiry, police said.
According to sources, the flying squad, along with police personnel, was conducting vehicle checks at Kangeyam Road, Rakkiyapalayam Pririvu, and Nallur on Thursday night when the team spotted a destitute woman walking while unusually clutching onto her saree. They stopped the woman and inspected her and were shocked to find Rs 1.50 lakh in cash. When questioned, the woman gave contradicting replies. Police said the woman told them that she had collected the money by seeking alms during the annual festival of Bannari Amman temple in Erode.
The officials seized the money and handed it over to the assistant polling officer in Tiruppur City Corporation on Thursday night. Speaking to TNIE, assistant polling officer Thangavel Raj said, “Since the woman was under the influence of alcohol, she couldn’t respond properly on Thursday. As her condition was unstable, she was admitted to a rehabilitation centre in Tiruppur city. On Friday, the Tiruppur city commissioner asked us to return the money after the police submitted a report about the woman’s identity and other documents.”