As high-octane drama plays out in election-bound Karnataka the Election Commission and Income Tax departments have been working overtime to seize cash.
For instance, Rs 1 crore was seized from atop a tree only recently in the state.
But where? India Today reported that on Wednesday, the Income Tax Department seized one crore rupees worth of cash from K Subramania Rai's Mysore home. He is the brother of Puttur candidate for the Congress, Ashok Kumar Rai.
Why is the incident significant? The Model Code of Conduct (MCC), which is in place in the southern state owing to the Assembly elections, forbids carrying a sizable sum of cash without the appropriate documentation.
Ahead of the Karnataka elections, which are all set to happen on 10 May, the recovery of money from a contesting candidate’s brother’s house is considered electoral fraud. But it is not just the Congress is under scrutiny.
On 14 April, Rs 1 crore was seized by Customs department from two people travelling in an autorickshaw in Bengaluru. More money, liquor, and gold were seized from different places in Karnataka.