Discrepancies in poll cash seizure investigation: FGG

Hyderabad: The Forum for Good Governance (FGG) has alleged that there are several discrepancies in investigation into election-related cash seizures . FGG, in its analysis of an RTI on cash seizure cases during the Telangana assembly elections in 2018, found out that of the 84 crore seized, 56 crore had been released.

FIRs were issued against accused in only 24% cases.

“When huge cash was seized, it was released but for petty amounts people were arrested and FIRs issued. For instance, under Khanapur Haveli police station limits in Khammam, a seizure of 10 lakh was released and action dropped. Similarly in Adilabad, a police station seized 81 lakh in cash but no case was booked and money was released,” said FGG secretary M Padmanabha Reddy.

In Shamshabad police station, 17 lakh was seized and later released while 24 lakh seized by Wadapally police station in Nalgonda and handed over to the district election authority was also released.

At the same time, in Gadwal Rural police station, an amount of 500 was seized and a case was registered while three persons were arrested for possessing 1,650 under Bhadradri’s Dammapet police station.

“No uniform procedure was followed. Though there is an instruction to not insist on records when cash less than 50,000 is involved, it was not followed. When the amount is over 10 lakh, the case has to be brought to the notice of the income tax department but this too was not followed in all districts,” Reddy alleged.

For hawala cases, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) was not roped in. For instance, Jangaon and Jainath police units had seized 5.8 crore and 10 crore respectively, but local police are dealing with these cases. “Police did not book contesting candidates in cases where accused confessed that money is transported for contestants. In 2018, under Bonakal police station of Khammam, an amount of 49 lakh was seized while being transported to TDP office. The amount was kept in a fixed deposit in SBI, Madhira,” Reddy said.

“In many cases, seized money was handed over to I-T department without booking a case. The I-T only looks into genuineness of money and not the criminal aspect,” he added.