Three containers with Rs 570 cr intercepted at Tiruppur, enquiry with SBI

Tirupur: Officials of a flying squad constituted to prevent unaccounted cash flow during elections, intercepted three trucks loaded with Rs. 570 crore in total at Chengapalli near Tirupur on May 14, creating a sensation in the State. However, the money could belong to SBI and  it may be a cash of much ado about nothing.

“Preliminary enquiy revealed that the money belonged to SBI. But the security guards didn't carry original documents but only photocopies. Since it raised suspicion, the incident is being probed,” Tamil Nadu Chief Electoral Officer Rajesh Lakhoni told mediapersons. “A special team comprising IT officials and bank officials has been formed and sent there to probe the incident.”

The men in the cars, who claimed to be plainclothesmen from Andhra Pradesh, told the officials that they were transferring the cash from SBI in Coimbatore to Visakhapatnam. As they could not produce any document to support their claims, the containers were taken to the District Collectorate in Tirupur.

The flying squad of the election department, along with paramilitary forces, seized the cash on May 14 morning during a routine vehicle check on Perumanallur-Kunnathur bypass road, police said.

The containers, escorted by three cars, did not halt. However, the officials gave chase and stopped them near Chengapalli. A check found that the amount kept in several boxes inside the containers, they said.

Meanwhile, the city police officials contacted media persons with a request not to show the vehicle numbers in their news items as the same trucks were routinely been used for such cash transfers. Information about the vehicles could prove to be handy for extremists to easily attack the vehicles during future cash transactions, police said.