EC team intercepts vehicle, finds jewellery worth ₹139 crore inside

A surveillance team found ₹139 crore in jewellery being transported for the Maharashtra elections; jewellers claim it's a legitimate consignment.

A static surveillance team (SST) of the Election Commission of India (ECI) on Friday found jewellery worth ₹139 crore being transported in a logistics service firm’s vehicle here.

The CEO of a jewellery firm said the valuables being transported belonged to various jewellery shops in Pune, including cargo of 10 kg belonging to his firm. (REPRESENTATIVE PIC)

A city-based jewellers’ firm claimed that it was a legitimate consignment.

SSTs have been deployed in the city in view of the November 20 Maharashtra assembly elections. A tempo, bearing registration number MH 02 ER 8112, belonging to a logistics firm was intercepted in Sahakarnagar area here, said Smartana Patil, deputy commissioner of police (zone 2).

“Upon inquiry, the team found that the boxes in the vehicle contained jewellery and the vehicle had come from Mumbai....we informed the Income Tax department and election officials about it,” she said, adding that the consignment was worth ₹139 crore.

The CEO of a jewellery firm said the valuables being transported belonged to various jewellery shops in Pune, including cargo of 10 kg belonging to his firm.

“Each article has a GST invoice attached to it. Even the driver does not know what is there inside the boxes. It is only the sender jeweller and the recipient jeweller who know about the consignment....It also includes old gold jewellery sent to us by our branches. Besides, diamond jewellery worth ₹1 to ₹1.5 crore is also there,” he said.

“It is a legitimate logistical service, and the traders should not face any inconvenience,” he added.

Pune rural police had intercepted cash worth ₹5 crore from an Innova car near Khed Shivapur toll post on Monday night.

(With agency inputs)