Ahead of Bijepur bypoll, intelligence warns of hawala-like systems

“In Bargarh and Sambalpur districts, some petrol pump owners are under pressure to extend huge lines of credit to bribe voters or to support political parties,” said another police officer. “That is either a bribe or an unaccounted election expense, which will attract penalty from the I-T and Election Commission authorities”. Police sources say hawala and credit lines are targeting Bijepur following “seizure of cash consignments adding up to over Rs 50 lakh, over the past few weeks”.

A consignment of Rs 40.5 lakh from Chhattisgarh, in denominations of Rs 500 and 2,000, was seized by Bargarh Police on Saturday. BJD has claimed that one of the two people who were arrested has links with the VHP and Bajrang Dal, citing FIRs in the aftermath of the 2008 Kandhamal violence. “O P Agarwal has been named in FIRs lodged in connection with the burning of a church in Padampur,” said BJD spokesperson Sasmit Patra.

Union Petroleum Minister Dharmendra Pradhan said on Monday, “If the BJD claims that the cash seized by the police belongs to the BJP and the Vishwa Hindu Parishad, prime accused in this case would be BJD Rajya Sabha MP Prasanna Acharya.” “BJP is displaying its intellectual bankruptcy. He (Acharya) has been with the Janata Dal for 30 years,” responded Patra.