After a five-day search against an Odisha-based distillery company, the Income Tax Department found an unbelievable Rs 351 crore in cash. Amit Shah, the Union Home Minister, questioned the leaders of the INDIA bloc's seeming "silence."
Rs 351 Crore In Cash Recovered By Income Tax Dept
According to government sources on Sunday, this haul—which belongs to a family connected to Congress Member of Parliament Dhiraj Sahu—is the "highest-ever" in a single activity by any investigative body in the nation.
The Congress Rajya Sabha MP Dhiraj Prasad Sahu's Ranchi office as well as other places were searched. The politician and the business, Boudh Distillery Private Limited, did not comment on the current actions against them in response to questions from PTI.
The tax authorities launched a series of major raids on December 6th, targeting the distillery company and its promoters with allegations of tax evasion and "off-the-book" transactions. On the fifth day, the counting process—which involved nine teams with about eighty people from the tax department and other banks working in shifts around the clock—came to an end.
The Congress Rajya Sabha MP Dhiraj Prasad Sahu's Ranchi office as well as other places were searched. The politician and the business, Boudh Distillery Private Limited, did not comment on the current actions against them in response to questions from PTI.
The tax authorities launched a series of major raids on December 6th, targeting the distillery company and its promoters with allegations of tax evasion and "off-the-book" transactions. On the fifth day, the counting process—which involved nine teams with about eighty people from the tax department and other banks working in shifts around the clock—came to an end.
Upon discovering ten almirahs filled with cash in addition to other sites, the tax authorities assigned another team of 200 officials, including security officers, drivers, and other staff members. The cash that was seized was reportedly transported to other bank offices around Odisha using 200 bags and trunks.
According to sources, the entire currency cache, worth Rs 351 crore, is believed to represent the "unaccounted" revenue that the business group, distributors, and others made from the cash sales of country liquor. This is the largest cash seizure the nation has ever seen in a single action against a group and its connections.
Previous high-value seizures include a 2019 case in which the GST Intelligence raided a Kanpur-based businessman, seizing Rs 257 crore, and a July 2018 incident in which the Income Tax Department discovered Rs 163 crore during searches against a road construction firm in Tamil Nadu.
The government is currently taking statements from executives and workers who were present at the searched premises and will soon issue summonses to the company's major promoters for their statements. It is unclear how much cash and documents were seized from the residence of MP Dhiraj Prasad Sahu. The majority of the seized currency, mostly in Rs 500 denominations, was purportedly discovered at the company's facilities in the Bolangir area.
The senior BJP leader questioned the "silence" of INDIA bloc leaders in a statement, stating that although he can understand the Congress's silence, he finds it surprising that parties like the TMC, DMK, JD (U), and RJD have followed the same.
Union Tourism Minister and BJP leader G. Kishan Reddy questioned why Congress leader Rahul Gandhi was "silent" on the matter.
On Friday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi informed the public that the money stolen from them would be returned and posted a Hindi newspaper report in which the cash recovered by the IT department was seen stacked. "The countrymen should look at the pile of these notes and then listen to the honest speeches' of their leaders," he had stated to X. Modi guarantees that whatever has been stolen from the public will be restored in full."
While the Congress has distanced itself from the MP, stating that the party has nothing to do with his business, Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah has accused the Centre of targeting solely the Congress and has questioned why no searches have been conducted on BJP figures.
According to Avinash Pandey, the Jharkhand Congress in-charge, "since he is a Congress MP, he should make an official statement about how such a big amount of money came to him."
According to sources, the entire currency cache, worth Rs 351 crore, is believed to represent the "unaccounted" revenue that the business group, distributors, and others made from the cash sales of country liquor. This is the largest cash seizure the nation has ever seen in a single action against a group and its connections.
Previous high-value seizures include a 2019 case in which the GST Intelligence raided a Kanpur-based businessman, seizing Rs 257 crore, and a July 2018 incident in which the Income Tax Department discovered Rs 163 crore during searches against a road construction firm in Tamil Nadu.
The government is currently taking statements from executives and workers who were present at the searched premises and will soon issue summonses to the company's major promoters for their statements. It is unclear how much cash and documents were seized from the residence of MP Dhiraj Prasad Sahu. The majority of the seized currency, mostly in Rs 500 denominations, was purportedly discovered at the company's facilities in the Bolangir area.
What was said by the BJP?
The BJP escalated its attack on the Congress and other opposition parties on Sunday, with Union Home Minister Amit Shah declaring that their "propaganda" about inquiry agencies being misused was motivated by a fear of their corruption being exposed.The senior BJP leader questioned the "silence" of INDIA bloc leaders in a statement, stating that although he can understand the Congress's silence, he finds it surprising that parties like the TMC, DMK, JD (U), and RJD have followed the same.
Union Tourism Minister and BJP leader G. Kishan Reddy questioned why Congress leader Rahul Gandhi was "silent" on the matter.
On Friday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi informed the public that the money stolen from them would be returned and posted a Hindi newspaper report in which the cash recovered by the IT department was seen stacked. "The countrymen should look at the pile of these notes and then listen to the honest speeches' of their leaders," he had stated to X. Modi guarantees that whatever has been stolen from the public will be restored in full."
While the Congress has distanced itself from the MP, stating that the party has nothing to do with his business, Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah has accused the Centre of targeting solely the Congress and has questioned why no searches have been conducted on BJP figures.
According to Avinash Pandey, the Jharkhand Congress in-charge, "since he is a Congress MP, he should make an official statement about how such a big amount of money came to him."
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