280 Quintal Mahua Flowers, Cash & Valuables Worth Rs 40 Cr Seized During Pre-Election Crackdown In Odisha

Bhubaneswar: Ahead of the Lok Sabha and Assembly elections in Odisha, the enforcement authorities have seized cash, liquor, valuables and freebies worth Rs 41 crore from different parts of the state.

Sources said that these seizures were made in six Lok Sabha constituencies and Assembly segments under these going to the poll in the third phase of elections in the state.

Highest seizure of inducements worth Rs 12.37 crore has been made in Cuttack followed by Rs 10.38 crore in Sambalpur, Rs 8.19 crore in Bhubaneswar, Rs 3.46 crore in Puri, Rs 3.34 crore in Dhenkanal and Rs 3.16 crore in Keonjhar.

The Election Commission of India (ECI) has received a total of 2,143 complaints from people regarding violation of model code of conduct through its c-vigil app. Out of the total complaints, 2,128 have been disposed of so far.

As per the office of Odisha’s Chief Electoral Officer (CEO), a highest of 688 complaints of the poll code violation has been received in Bhubaneswar of which 678 complaints have been disposed of so far.

As the authorities intensified their pre-poll crackdown, district Excise enforcement squad and mobile unit in Keonjhar nabbed five persons and seized five vehicles loaded with huge quantities of Mahua flower worth over Rs one crore.

The seizure was made during a raid at Banpar village under Town police limits in Keonjhar on Monday.

The Excise personnel arrested three drivers and two helpers of the seized vehicles and detained the vehicle owners for investigation.

A senior official said that the vehicles were transporting Mahua flowers from Raipur area to East Singhbhum in neighbouring Jharkhand. However, they were caught red-handed while shifting the stock at Banpar village.

More than 280 quintal Mahua flowers along with a 16-wheeler truck and four Bolero pick-up vans were seized during the raid, he added.