Election officials and the Vellore Taluk police seized unaccounted for cash, to the tune of ₹74.50 lakh during vehicle checks at the newly -reated police check-post at the Vallam toll gate on the Chittoor-Cuddalore Highway on the outskirts of Vellore town, on Tuesday, April 9, 2024.
Police said that members of a Static Squad Team (SST) led by election officer S. Velayudham intercepted a car near the toll gate in Vallam village on the highway around 6.15 a.m. During the check, the team found unaccounted for cash in the vehicle.
The passenger of the car 50-year-old K. Jothi Kumar, a native of Arani town in Tiruvannamalai, said he had been carrying the cash from a private bank from Arani town to refill an ATM centre near Vallam village on the highway. He told election officials that the seized cash was the money that was remaining after the ATM machine had been filled.
However, Mr. Kumar, who works as a loading agent with the bank, could not produce any documents for cash he was carrying; he only had his identity card provided by the bank.
As per norms, police said that cash for ATMs should be carried only in specific vehicles authorised by banks. However, the seized amount was carried in a private car that did not have any security arrangements to safeguard the cash. The team seized the cash and handed it over to S. Ekambaram, deputy returning officer (Vellore constituency) in the presence of P.A. Arun Selvan, Tasildar (Arcot).
