EC: Drugs, liquor, gold worth Rs 67 cr seized in Punjab

Chandigarh, February 6

Punjab recorded seizure of about Rs 67 crore worth of liquor, drugs, gold and cash by Election Commission-appointed surveillance teams during a month-long period leading up to the state Assembly polls.

Among the seizures, the value of gold and silver was the highest at Rs 26.14 crore, followed by drugs to the tune of Rs 17.89 crore, liquor at Rs 13.36 crore and cash of Rs 9.52 crore, an EC official said today.

The seizures were made by surveillance teams comprising the Punjab Police, Narcotic Control Bureau, Excise and Income Tax Department from January 4 when the model code of conduct came into force till February 4, the polling day, the official said.

(Follow The Tribune on Facebook; and Twitter @thetribunechd)

The police intercepted cash amounting to Rs 58 crore during special checking undertaken throughout the state and then handed over Rs 25.33 crore to the Income Tax department for further investigation. The police, however, released about Rs 32 crore which belonged to some banks.

Of Rs 25.33 crore, the income tax sleuths seized Rs 8.38 crore and released Rs 9.97 crore after verification. A sum of Rs 7.35 crore was still under investigation, the official said. With drugs remaining a major poll issue in the state, the surveillance teams, including NCB, seized drugs worth Rs 17.89 crore from different parts of the state, official said. These included poppy husk, opium, heroin, cocaine, charas, drug powder and even medicines like Tramadol, Alprazolam, Chlotdiazepoxide, Mifepristone. The surveillance teams also seized 12.43 lakh litres of illicit and legally produced liquor worth Rs 13.36 crore at several places in the state, the official said. — PTI