Chennai: The Tamil Nadu Police seized Rs 5.22 crore in cash during a vehicle check near Chennai during the wee hours of Wednesday.
According to Tiruvallur police, the car bearing a Tamil Nadu registration number was caught near Gummidipoondi after the driver of the car reportedly confessed of transporting cash to the tune of Rs 60 lakh without a valid ePass and other income proof documents.
Sources said that the two passengers in the car have been identified as Lakshmi Narayanan and Vasanth - both from Ongole, Andhra Pradesh.
The driver, Nagarajan, claimed that they were on an urgent trip to Chennai to hand over the cash they carry.
However, a search revealed that the actual cash being carried in the car was Rs 5.22 crore.
Initial inquiries have reportedly revealed that the cash belonged to Nallamalli Babu, a jeweller from Ongole in neighbouring Andhra Pradesh, who had sent the money for the purchase of jewellery from Chennai.
The seized cash was than handed over to the Income Tax department, which has taken over the probe to check whether the cash is accounted or not.
Earlier, the trio had claimed that the car belonged to a Minister from Andhra Pradesh, which was subsequently refuted by the minister.
Meanwhile, further investigation into the matter is currently underway.
Read: 5 Tamil Nadu cops sent to CBI custody for 2 days in Jayaraj & Beniks death case
