Vellore/Tiruvannamalai: Cracking the whip on ill-practice of giving and taking bribe for votes, the flying squads in Vellore and Tiruvannamalai districts have caught a total of 26 persons, including a farm hand for taking bribe, and confiscated around 41 lakh in the last two days. Majority of them were functionaries of AIADMK party.
In the first-ever action taken against a voter for receiving money from candidates or their representatives in the state, a farm labourer - I Munusamy of Melkattur village in Katpadi - was arrested in Katpadi on Thursday for receiving 1,000 allegedly from some DMK functionaries. Intensifying the vigil, the flying squads seized cash to the tune of 17.40 lakh that meant to bribe the voters on Friday. Out of 17.40 lakh, 4.75 lakh seized from a PMK functionary in Sholinghur Constituency and 7.68 lakh seized from a AIADMK cadres in Arakkonam constituency, said Collector and District Election Officer Rajendra Ratnoo.
The officials have also invoked section 171 E of Indian Penal Code for indulging in distributing and taking bribe for votes. "We have increased the number of telephone lines in the call centres to 16.