Chennai:
A woman revenue official, who single-handedly recovered Rs five crore in cash from a bus in Tiruchirappalli in Tamil Nadu believed to have been meant for bribing voters during the April 13 Assembly elections, was honoured by the state government with its bravery award on Monday.
Revenue Divisional Officer Dr S Sangeetha, who was the Returning officer of Tiruchirappalli West Assembly segment, was presented the Kalpana Chawla Award for Courage and Daring Enterprise by Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa during the Independence Day celebrations here.
In a midnight raid following a tip-off, Sangeetha, a doctor who took to public service after seven years of practice, had recovered Rs 5.11 crore worth of unclaimed cash kept in five bags on the roof of a stationary bus.
More than Rs 50 crore worth of unaccounted cash was seized in the run-up to the elections following a crackdown by the Election Commission to curb use of money power in the polls.
The award, named after the late Indian astronaut and given away during the Independence Day celebrations, carries Rs five lakh cash prize and a citation.