Parliamentary polls: Karnataka police eagle eye on illegal cash

Bengaluru: With the Parliamentary polls scheduled to be held on April 18 and 23 in the state, law and order police have set up checkposts across the city and at entry points into the city to stop the movement of cash and goods to induce voters.

Checks at these spots have intensified after the election commissioner announced that cash of Rs 50,000 and above cannot be carried without valid documents. The rule is applicable for gifts too.

At these checkposts, policemen flag down vehicles and check the bootspace to see if any money is being carried illegally. Many people are angry that they are made to stop in the middle of the road when they are rushing to work.

Mr Somanath K., a resident of Yelahanka, was heard saying that politicians carry money to distribute to voters without any checks, while it is ordinary citizens who are frisked and checked. “No doubt, some cash and goods are seized but not all,” he said.

Meanwhile, Assistant Commissioner of Bengaluru North Taluk office L.C. Nagaraj held a demonstration of the Citizen-Vigil (C-vigil) app. Public can lodge complaints about poll-related violations, and officials swing into action within 20 minutes, Mr Nagaraj said.