Lucknow:  A huge amount of unaccounted cash was seized on Monday in poll-bound Uttar Pradesh during a drive, launched on the orders of the Election Commission, to check the flow of illegal money. Over Rs. 13 crore in cash was found in a van in Ghaziabad near Delhi. There have been similar seizures in Muzaffarnagar, Lakhimpur Kheri and some other parts of the state in the run up to the elections.

The passengers in the van claimed that Rs. 12.5 crore belonged to a bank and was meant for refilling ATMs but they did not have proper documents, state Chief Electoral Officer Umesh Sinha told reporters here. Cash worth Rs. 60 lakh belonging to a private party was also found in the same van, Mr Sinha said.

According to EC directives, seizure was mandatory if any person was found carrying more than Rs. 2.5 lakhs in cash without valid documents, he said.

“More than Rs. 10 crore have been seized from different parts of the state during a drive to check flow of illegal money,” Mr Sinha said.

Over Rs. 3.92 crore in unaccounted cash had been seized since Sunday evening, Inspector General of Police (Crime) G P Sharma said. This included Rs. 1.54 crore that the police came across during a drive in Chattrapati Shahuji Maharaj Nagar. “Of this, Rs. 1.51 crore was found in a jeep in Mohanganj area,” the IGP said.