Kohima: A government vehicle being used by a senior officer as a flying squad for election purposes in Kohima was detained after Nagaland Police recovered an accounted cash of Rs 5 lakh during a surprise check on government vehicles on Tuesday.
The state police said the public servant couldn’t give a satisfactory explanation. After following due procedure, the seized cash was handed over to the Election Expenditure Monitoring Committee in Kohima.
Deputy commissioner of Kohima, Shanavas C, told EastMojo that following the seizure, the money would be kept in the treasury where within seven days, the person can make an appeal citing reasons.
Nagaland Police conducted a 2-hour state-wide drive to strictly enforce the Model Code of Conduct during the election process frisking all Government vehicles, including police vehicles on road.
During the exercise, besides minor seizures, Rs. 1.5 lakhs was also seized at Chozuba under Phek district and 975 kgs of areca nuts and other seizures of IMFL were made.
The police informed that the exercise was necessitated as it received inputs of government vehicles or private vehicles with fake government number plates or car stickers with ‘On Election Duty’ to vitiate the election process.
This exercise was conducted in all the districts of the State wherein all the Senior Officers of Nagaland Police along with SST, FST and CAPF Officers also participated. This exercise was conducted to avoid and prevent misuse of any government vehicles for violation of the Mode Code of Conduct.
Government vehicles of senior officers of the state/central government were also checked, including escorts accompanying Special Police Election Observers en route to Mokokchung, it informed.
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The police acknowledged all Government Officers for facilitating and cooperating during the exercise and shared its determination to strictly implement the Model Code of Conduct without any prejudice and such exercises would continue till the poll day.
Earlier, the police conducted a checking of its own vehicles but made no recoveries.
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