KOCHI: The Income Tax (I-T) Department probing black money hoarding by the Sreevalsam Group is checking the involvement of a Malayali woman who acted as mediator for the business group in several land deals.While conducting raids at the house and establishments of M K R Pillai, chairman of Sreevalsam Group, I-T officers carried out inspection at the residences of a woman named Radhamani in Kerala as well as in New Delhi.
“We had received information about Radhamani during the probe into the properties purchased by M K R Pillai and his sons Arun and Varun,” said an I-T officer.During interrogation, Radhamani said she is an employee of the company. “Radhamani acted as mediator in most of the land deals of Sreevalsam Group in Kerala. We had raided the house of Radhamani in Kochi and New Delhi.
She was staying in the Nagaland Guest House in New Delhi at the time of raids. Later, she was summoned to the I-T office in Kochi for interrogation. She told us she was only an employee of the company and had involved in the land dealings as part of her work. She also revealed assets worth `10 crore owned by Pillai,” an officer said.
According to the officer, Radhamani, a native of Haripad, moved to Nagaland with her husband in the 90s. After befriending Pillai, she became a partner in his business firms. “Radhamani and her husband were running a tea shop in Nagaland.
Now, they are having assets worth crores of rupees,” the officer said.
The I-T officers also found a Naga tribal woman, Rangamma, was a partner in Pillai’s various business establishments. She had also invested money when Pillai’s son Arun procured plots in various places in Kerala. She is also a partner in the business firm registered in Shillong.
Hawala transaction case
The I-T Department has decided to refer the probe into the hawala transactions by the Sreevalsam Group to the Enforcement Directorate (ED). “ED officers have been tracking some of the agents who facilitated hawala mode of money transfer by the group for business abroad as well to other states in the country. More Central agencies as well the Nagaland Government will be informed about the matter,” an I-T officer said.