Guj poll: Search team members pinch silver bricks, arrested

The incident has prompted the Election Commission of India (ECI) to relax norms for seizure of bullion and jewellery ahead of the festive season. The Commission has also asked its expenditure monitoring team to stop seizing bullion and jewellery during surveillance.

The ECI suspended five members of the Static Surveillance Team (SST) who were arrested with five silver biscuits worth Rs 1.70 lakh in Modasa in neighbouring Sabarkantha district.

"Additional assistant irrigation engineer A T Patel, head constable Babubhai Bhikhabhai, Lok Rakshaks Rakesh Amrutlal and Dhaval Kumar and homeguard Shailesh Vankar were arrested and suspended immediately," state Chief Electoral Officer Anita Karwal said.

"The five have been booked under sections 384 and 114 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC)," Karwal added. Ramesh Prajapati, a videographer with the team who managed to escape, was also arrested and suspended.

The SST members had taken away the five silver bricks from an employee of a Rajasthan-based trader, when they were checking vehicles on Monday to enforce EC rule of seizure of more than Rs 2.5 lakh cash in transit and to check use of black money in elections.

Providing relief to bullion and jewellery traders who had made several representations to the ECI following recent seizures, state Chief Electoral Officer Anita Karwal said "Businessmen and traders dealing in gold, silver and precious gems have been exempted from seizures."

"In case of an interrogation, the Income Tax (I-T) department will be informed for post verification on the basis of a declaration filed by the person carrying the items and videography of the details," she said.

"The items won't be seized as long as they are not associated either with a political party or to a candidate contesting the polls," she said.

ECI's 587 SSTs and 182 flying squads have so far seized Rs 22.56 crore unaccounted money, of which Rs 22.20 crore has been handed over to the I-T department.