The Income Tax department's raids on Congress MP Dhiraj Sahu's premises in Jharkhand and Odisha have so far led to the recovery of £35.1 mn and approximately 3 kg of gold ornaments. The cash haul is the highest-ever in a single action by any probe agency in the country, according to officials.
A significant portion of this cash was recovered from an Odisha-based Boudh Distillery Private Limited, linked to Sahu. The marathon raids against the distillery's promoters and others were launched on December 6 on charges of tax evasion and "off-the-book" transactions.
Over 100 IT officials were present during the raids and more than 40 machines were deployed to count the seized cash. The tax officials, during the searches at business, official and residential premises, go through all the cash, financial documents, property papers, electronic devices, gold and other items.
The cash is seized and counted in the presence of two independent witnesses and is put under seal. It is then taken to a national bank. This unprecedented haul marks the largest single seizure ever made by any investigative agency in India, shattering all the previous records. Premises linked to Sahu in Ranchi and other places, were covered during the searches.
While the Congress has distanced itself from Sahu, Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah questioned why no searches were conducted against leaders of the BJP. Prime Minister Narendra Modi assured the public that "looted money" would be returned.