Odisha: After IT completing raids at Premises linked to Congress MP Dheeraj Sahu, counting of cash seizure has come to an end and over ₹ 350 crore has been recovered. The cash was seized by the Income Tax department from distillery units in Odisha.
This is the highest-ever cash seizure by an agency in a single operation. The counting of the seized currency notes took five days and concluded on Sunday.
The seized cash was taken in bags for counting to three SBI branches — in Balangir, Sambalpur and Titlagarh. The highest cash was recovered in 176 bags filled with cash that were taken to SBI’s Balangir branch, where additional manpower had to be deployed for counting the notes.
I-T searches still underway
Income Tax officials however continue to conduct the survey at properties linked to Dheeraj Sahu with documentation process still on.
During the Income Tax raids at properties connected to Rajya Sabha MP Dheeraj Sahu, huge stacks of currency notes were seized. According to sources the amount of cash recovered was in excess of Rs 300 crore.
SBI Regional Manager, Bhagat Behera on Sunday said that out of the 176 bags received, 140 have been accounted for, and the counting of the remaining bags is scheduled on Monday.
176 bags full of cash recovered
"We received 176 bags and 140 of them have been counted, the rest will be counted today. Officials from 3 banks are involved in the counting process, and 50 of our officials are involved. About 40 (currency counting) machines were brought here, 25 are in use and 15 are kept as backup,"
Meanwhile, the currency note banding machine was brought to Balangir SBI's main branch to complete the currency counting process.
Cash worth Over 300 crore recovered
The Income Tax sleuths conducted raids at the premises of Boudh Distilleries Private Limited on Sunday, as the crackdown by the central agency entered its fifth day. Baldev Sahu Infra Pvt Ltd company is a group company of Boudh Distilleries, which is being raised. It is allegedly linked to Sahu.
Income Tax sleuths have, so far, recovered more than Rs 300 crore cash from several locations in Odisha and Jharkhand during their raids against Boudh Distilleries Private Limited (BDPL) and entities linked to it.
The residences of Sahu were also searched. The recovery has given fresh ammunition to the BJP to come out all guns blazing at the Congress on the issue of graft.
Dheeraj Sahu faces Massive criticism
Earlier, on Friday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi took a swipe at the Congress, tagging a news report about the I-T department's recovery of Rs 200 crores in cash from various locations of a business group allegedly linked to Sahu.
"Countrymen should look at these piles of currency notes and then hear the addresses of its (Congress) leaders on honesty. Every penny looted from people will have to be returned. This is Modi's guarantee," PM Modi posted from his official handle.
Union Minister Amit Shah also criticised the Congress and members of the INDIA bloc for remaining silent on the raids
"I am very surprised. After independence, such a large amount of cash has been seized from an MP's house. Crores of rupees have been recovered but the whole INDI alliance is silent on this corruption. I understand Congress is silent as corruption is in their nature but JDU, RJD, DMK, and SP all are sitting silently...Now I understand why a campaign was run against PM Modi that agencies are being misused. It was run because there was a fear in their mind that all the secrets of their corruption would be revealed..." Amit Shah had said to ANI.
Congress distances itself from cash recovered
The Congress has chosen to distance itself from the Cash recovered at it MPs home claiming that only Dheeraj Sahu can explain how huge amounts of cash were found at his business.
"The Indian National Congress is in no way connected with the businesses of Dheeraj Sahu, MP. Only he can explain, and should explain, how huge amounts of cash have been reportedly unearthed by the income-tax authorities from his properties" Congress MP Jairam Ramesh said.
With the Congress yet to take any punitive action against its MP the BJP is expected to further raise the pitch on the issue.
(With inputs from ANI)
