During vehicle inspection in Tiruvannamalai, election officials seized 300 stainless steel vehicles. | Photo credit: Special arrangement
Election officials and police on Sunday seized 300 stainless steel utensils, dhotis and sarees, unaccounted cash amounting to over ₹20,000 during vehicle checks at various locations in Vellore, Ranipet, Tirupattur and Tiruvannamalai districts as part of enforcement of the model code of conduct for the 2026 Tamil Assembly elections.
Police said members of the Static Surveillance Team (SST) led by Election Officer K. Vinod intercepted the van near a police check post at Somasipadi village near Polur in Tiruvannamalai district around 6 am on Sunday. During the inspection, the team found 300 stainless steel utensils.
Police said he and the driver, Vellore-based wholesaler K. Satyanarayanan, 53, were carrying utensils to retail shops in Chengam town in Tiruvannamalai for sale when the election team intercepted the vehicle. Since he was unable to prove himself with valid documents, the seized items were handed over to the district treasury.
In a similar incident, election officials seized new dhoti and sarees worth ₹82,000 near Arcot town in Ranipet after election officials received a tip-off that these items were being distributed to residents in the area by some political party functionaries.
As for the unaccounted cash, election officials on Sunday seized ₹13.06 crore at two locations near Gudiyatham town in Vellore after a team stopped two vehicles from Karnataka and Telangana where the occupants were heading to Kancheepuram to buy silk sarees for wedding parties in their native place. Since they did not have valid documents for the unaccounted cash, the secured money was handed over to the district treasury.
In Tiruvannamalai district, election officials also seized unaccounted cash amounting to ₹6.80 million from traders traveling in a car during a surprise check near Polur town.
In Tirupattur, election officials seized 500 plastic buckets worth ₹1.2 million during a vehicle check at Pachakuppam village near Ambur town in the district. The vehicle was going from Gudiyatham to Tirupattur town.
Published – 22 March 2026 23:02 IST
