An overnight raid was conducted, on the 16th of April, by the Income Tax (IT) Department in Theni district of Tamil Nadu. Started late night on the 16th, the raid lasted till early morning on the 17th of April.
The results of the raid discovered Rs. 1.48 crores of cash stashed in 94 packets and envelopes. Each packet and envelope had a marking of Rs. 300 meant to be given to the voters in an attempt to bribe them.
According to B. Murali Kumar, the IT Director General (Investigations,) the seized cash belonged to functionary of the T.T.V. Dhinakaran led Amma Makkal Munnetra Kazhagam (AMMK.)
While the search was being conducted on Tuesday night, the supporters of AMMK gathered outside the functionary and refused to let the raids happen. The crowd was so intense, the police had to fire warning shots to disperse the protestors.
Apart from the money seized from the functionary, the officials also took into custody a postal ballot paper for the bye elections of the Andipatti Assembly. The seized ballot paper was already marked with the name of a candidate from AMMK.
With all the evidence they had, the police filed a First Information Report (FIR) against several people and detained four supporters of the AMMK. This illegal practice of money laundering has been taking place in Tamil Nadu for a while now.
In fact, in the year 2017, the Election Commission of India (ECI) warned the Tamil Nadu Government twice to stop the large scale malpractice happening in the State.
The Lok Sabha elections in Tamil Nadu are going to be conducted on the 18th of April for 39 seats.
Starting on the 11th of April and lasting till the 19th of May, the Lok Sabha elections are facing several roadblocks.
The results of the elections are going to be declared on the 23rd of May.
Stay tuned for more updates about the Lok Sabha elections.
