Goemkarponn Desk
VERNA: The money involved in the rogue seizure by the Dabolim election flying squad last Sunday will be decided upon by a four-member committee led by South Goa Collector Ashwin Chandru, IAS.
Ashok Chaudhary and Pawankumar Verma, two businessmen from Delhi, had their car stopped and their money seized at Dabolim. They claimed the money was Rs 16 lakh, but only Rs 8 lakh had been found during the Verna police’s criminal investigation.
Since then, two officials have been suspended for neglecting to report the seizure and adhere to the guidelines set forth by the Election Commission of India: Anirudha Pawar, the head of the flying squad, and Nitesh Naik, an LDC in the Election Cell’s IT section.
Remarkably, a high-ranking electoral official informed The Goan that since the Rs 8 lakh has been found, the liquid cash will need to go through the standard process of being seized during election season and will be handled by the district committee led by Chandru.
In South Goa, this committee consists of Walter M. D’Melo, the Director of Accounts in the Electricity Department, Deepali Naik, the Project Director of the District Rural Development Authority, and Chetan C. Dharangutty, the Deputy Director of Accounts. Chandru is also the Returning Officer for the South Goa Lok Sabha seat.
The businessmen from Delhi will have to make their case, including where the money came from, before it can make a decision about confiscation. It is required to conduct an independent investigation into this case.
Additionally, in accordance with the ECI’s established procedure, all case-related information will be sent to the Income Tax Department’s nodal officer before any of it is made available to the businessmen who have filed the complaint, as the cash involved exceeds Rs 10 lakh.
