The Chennai police and flying squad on duty at Tambaram railway station on Saturday night apprehended three passengers aboard the Nellai Express train, carrying an astounding sum of over ₹4 crore in cash.

The trio, identified as S Sathish (33), his brother S Navin (31), and S Perumal (26), boarded the train in Egmore with eight bags in tow. Acting swiftly upon receiving information, police and flying squads rushed to Tambaram railway station around 9 pm.

Upon searching the second-class AC coach (A1), officers discovered the bags filled with ₹500 notes. The suspects were promptly detained at the police station, and the income tax department was notified. Reports suggest that income tax teams will interrogate the accused either on Sunday or Monday.

Simultaneously, authorities initiated search operations in Kilpauk, Triplican, and Saligramam, focusing on areas linked to Tirunelveli BJP candidate Nainar Nagendran. It was revealed that the passengers had stashed the cash in locations associated with the BJP leader before boarding the train at Egmore.

An ongoing investigation aims to determine whether the seized cash was intended for distribution in the Tirunelveli Lok Sabha constituency ahead of the upcoming general elections. Tamil Nadu's 39 constituencies are set to cast their votes in the first phase of the elections on April 19, with results slated for June 4.

Among these constituencies are prominent regions such as Chennai North, Chennai South, Coimbatore, Madurai, and more, highlighting the significance of the electoral process in the state.