On January 12, 2012 Mid-Day reported that the symptoms of the feverish electioneering in Uttar Pradesh prior to the February polls have been manifested in Mumbai. During the course of a murder probe, the police uncovered an auto theft racket organised to fund and facilitate campaigning in the northern state. On December 26, the Navi Mumbai police arrested Nusrat Ali Khan alias Jabir Ali (37), a Turbhe resident hailing from UP, for murdering a city trader. After interrogating the murder accused, cops learned that he was also the kingpin of a vehicle theft mafia. While he was being grilled, he confessed to stealing over 200 cars from the city to be sold and employed for his brother’s UP poll campaign.

The original article can be found at Mid-Day.