₹5 crore seized from car in poll-bound Maharashtra; four held

The Opposition alleged that Mahayuti is distributing money ahead of the Assembly polls. Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Sanjay Raut said ₹15 crore had been seized from the car of an MLA belonging to the Sena faction of Eknath Shinde

The Pune Police arrested four people in poll-bound Maharashtra after cash worth ₹5 crore was seized from a car near the Khed Shivapur toll plaza in the district on Monday night.

“The cash was seized at a checkpoint. The Election Commission and Income Tax department are probing the suspects regarding the cash at the Rajgad police station,” Pune Rural Police SP Pankaj Deshmukh said.

Police said the car was on its way to Kolhapur from Pune. One of the arrested men has been identified as Amol Nalawade who is said to be associated with Shiv Sena MLA Shahajibapu Patil from Sangola in Solapur district. Police said that one of the arrested men is a contractor who has claimed ownership of the cash.

However, Mr. Patil denied the allegations. “The car is not mine or any of my family members. I came to know about this from the news on TV. I have no idea with which party Amol Nalawade is associated with, but his father works with the farmers’ organisation. I have no idea about this issue,” he said. 

The Opposition alleged that Mahayuti and its MLAs are distributing money ahead of the upcoming Assembly elections on November 20. In a post on X, Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Sanjay Raut said ₹15 crore had been seized from the car of an MLA belonging to the Shiv Sena faction led by Chief Minister Eknath Shinde. Hinting at Mr. Patil, he asked, “So Bapu, how many crores?”

Mr. Raut said Mr. Shinde had promised ₹75 crore to each candidate and the money seized was the first instalment.

Nationalist Congress Party (SP) leader Rohit Pawar took to X and said that 30 to 35 people to whom the “first instalment” has been transported were asked to be cautious. 

Mr. Patil termed the charges a “conspiracy to humiliate him” and said, “Since Mr. Raut lost the power, he is just looking for ways to target me. It really doesn’t bother me.”

Published - October 22, 2024 09:56 pm IST