A Bharatiya Janata Party youth wing leader in Tamil Nadu was arrested on Thursday with Rs 20.5 lakhs cash, including over 900 new Rs 2000 notes, weeks after the Prime Minister’s demonetisation drive was announced.
JVR Arun, the BJP’s youth secretary in Salem district, declared his support for the demonetisation decision a week after Narendra Modi announced it, through a Facebook post which read,“For the progress of our country, let’s stand in a queue.”
Just days later, he was caught in a routine search near Salem. Police recovered several currency bundles worth Rs 20.5 lakhs from Arun’s car.
There were 926 notes of Rs 2,000 denomination, 1,530 0f Rs 100 and 1,000 of Rs 50 notes in the bundle, The Indian Express reported.
The police seized the cash and deposited it in the treasury after Arun failed to give satisfactory explanation for the source of the money.
The Income-Tax department was informed about the seizure. But a detailed probe may follow to ascertain how the youth wing leader managed to procure the notes and whether bank officials had helped him.
The BJP’s state unit has issued a show cause notice to Arun demanding an explanation, with party’s state head, Tamilisai Soundararajan, later informing the reporters that the youth secretary has been expelled from the party.
