2 Delhi CM office staff held with ₹5 lakh cash ahead of Assembly polls

Delhi Assembly elections: The voting for 70 Assembly constituencies started at 7 am on Wednesday, and the polling results will be declared on February 8

The Delhi Police detained two staff members from the Delhi Chief Minister's Office on Tuesday after ₹5 lakh in cash was recovered from them, just hours before polling in the national capital’s 70 Assembly constituencies.

 

Officials told news agency ANI that they acted on a tip-off regarding individuals allegedly carrying cash. A Flying Squad Team (FST) arrived at the scene and apprehended the two men.

 

"We received a call that some people were caught with ₹5 lakh, our team reached there and FST (Flying Squad Team) handed over two men, namely Gaurav and Ajit...both are attached to (Delhi) CM office, as per the preliminary information.," Ravi Kumar Singh, deputy commissioner of police (DCP) South East, told ANI.

 

 

Authorities are probing whether one of the men served as an assistant to the CM’s personal assistant, while the other worked as a driver. 

Delhi Assembly Elections LIVE

 

The District Election Officer (DEO)/District Magistrate (DM) South-East confirmed the incident on social media platform X, stating that the FST team found Gaurav and Ajit Singh in a vehicle with ₹5 lakh. 

 

"FST team found two individuals, Mr Gaurav and Mr Ajit Singh, in a car with Rs 5 lakh. Gaurav stated that the money was received from Pankaj, PA to Ms Atishi, for booth management in Giri Nagar, KalkaJi(AC). Cash has been seized and police are further investigating it," he said in a post on X.

 

Delhi heads to polls

 

Voting in Delhi’s 70 Assembly constituencies started at 7 am on Wednesday, with over 15.6 million registered voters eligible to cast their ballots.

A total of 13,766 polling stations have been set up for the elections, which will determine the political future of 699 candidates.

 

The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) is aiming for a third consecutive term, while the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is making a strong bid to return to power after more than 25 years. Meanwhile, the Congress is seeking to revive its fortunes after failing to win a single seat in the last two elections.

 

(With agency inputs)