Amidst the intense electoral battle in Leparada district of Arunachal Pradesh, tensions escalated as supporters of NPP’s MLA Gokar Basar intercepted a vehicle allegedly carrying Rs. 1 crore in cash, purportedly intended for use in the elections to sway voters in favor of the BJP candidate, Nyabi Jini Dirchi. According to MLA Gokar Basar, supporters of NPP, led by D Toli Basar, intercepted a Bolero vehicle bearing registration number AR 25 0109, seizing the cash believed to belong to Margo Bam. Basar promptly informed the Superintendent of Police (SP) about the incident, and the cash was handed over to the police in the presence of SP Thupten Jambey.
The SP confirmed the receipt of two FIRs regarding the incident. One FIR claimed that the cash was forcefully extorted from Margo Bam by goons associated with the MLA, while the other FIR accused the cash owner of violating the model code of conduct by misusing money for election purposes. Although the SP refrained from making any on-camera statements, he assured that both cases had been registered, and investigations were underway. The seized cash has been confiscated, and information letters have been forwarded to the District Election Officer (DEO) of Leparada district.
D Toli Basar, one of the individuals involved in intercepting the cash-laden vehicle, revealed that a similar incident had occurred previously in Gori Village, where Rs. 2 lakhs were recovered from a vehicle belonging to a BJP MLA candidate, only to mysteriously disappear from the police station later. This time, however, the youth supporters ensured the safe delivery of the cash to the police station, recording the handover on video.