Over Rs 5 crore cash, 7 kg gold seized in Hyd since announcement of poll date

Hyderabad: Hyderabad police have seized Rs 5.1 crore in cash, over 7 kg gold worth Rs 4.2 crore and 110 litres of liquor since Monday when the election code of conduct came into force for the November 30 Assembly elections in Telangana.

The city police said in its commitment to ensuring a free, fair and peaceful conduct of the elections, it has intensified its citywide enforcement efforts against illicit money, drugs, liquor, freebies and other inducements.

Since Monday, when the Election Commission of India announced the poll schedule, the police have seized 7.706 kg gold valued at Rs 4.2 crore, 11.700 kg silver worth Rs 8.77 lakh, Rs 5.1 crore cash, and 110 litres of liquor.

The police also seized 2 kg ganja, 23 mobile phones and 43 quintals of PDS rice.

The local police, flying squad teams, commissioner’s task force and other wings are monitoring and maintaining a tight vigil round-the-clock. The police have requested all citizens for their active participation and support by promptly reporting any instances of suspicious activities occurring in their respective localities.

Meanwhile, City Police Commissioner, C.V. Anand, on Wednesday conducted a video conference to assess the state of preparedness and elucidate the essential Do’s and Don’ts to all staff officers.

In his address, he underscored four pivotal facets that demand immediate attention: Adherence to established procedures, timely compilation of reports, vigilant monitoring, and thorough training and briefing of the police force.

He emphasised that these aspects must remain paramount until the culmination of the polls.

Anand also issued directives to all DCPs, ACPs and nodal ACPs to convene meetings with the political parties at their respective levels.

He instructed them to activate round-the-clock election cells within their offices. Additionally, he emphasised the need for coordinated planning with officers from the neighbouring commissionerates to ensure the effective security of polling stations that partially fall under their jurisdiction.

The commissioner also urged all officers to take resolute action against any instances of illicit cash, liquor, narcotics, or other prohibited inducements.

He stressed the importance of preventing political parties from intersecting during campaigns, factoring this into route planning and permission issuance, meticulously allocating time slots to avoid any untoward incidents.

Also, all licensed firearms must be surrendered, and no new licences should be issued until the conclusion of the polls. Static surveillance teams (SST) are set to commence their operations, and the flying squads have been instructed to intensify their checks.

The number of integrated inter-commissionerate checkposts will be increased from 11 to 18.

The meeting also discussed executing non-bailable warrants (NBWs), monitoring social media platforms, surveillance on hawala operators, binding over troublemakers, and other operational matters.