Cash, liquor worth Rs 5 cr seized in C'garh ahead of LS polls

Unaccounted cash, illicit liquor and other items worth over Rs 5 crore have been seized in Chhattisgarh in the run-up to the Lok Sabha polls, an official said on Tuesday.

After the model code of conduct came into force on March 10, the excise, police and income tax officials kept a close watch on illegal movement of liquor, cash and other items meant to influence the polls and seized them, the official at the election office here said.

During a recent checking, cash worth lakhs was recovered from some vehicles in Bemetara district and jewellery and other items were seized from Raigarh, he said.

"Till April 6, unaccounted cash, illicit liquor and other items worth Rs 5,07,97,268 were seized from separate places in the state," he said.

These include cash worth Rs 4,34,19,205 and 4,651 litres of liquor costing around Rs 8,31,868, laptops, pressure cookers and other items worth Rs 48,86,695, and jewellery and valuable stones worth Rs 16,50,000, he said.

Chhattisgarh will have three-phase polling for its 11 parliamentary seats on April 11, 18 and 23, and the results will be declared on May 23.