CHENNAI: The Income Tax department, which had initiated searches at 70 premises of ‘lottery king’ Santiago Martin on April 30, has found an unaccounted money trail of Rs 595 crore as the raids ended on Saturday.“The assessee in Martin group admitted an unaccounted income of Rs 595 crore received from stockists towards manipulation of prize winning tickets,” a top Income Tax official said.
“He further admitted to offer additional unaccounted income after reconciliation of the Rs 619 crore of unaccounted receipts and payments made for various investments,” the official said, adding Rs 8.25 crore unaccounted cash was found, of which Rs 5.8 crore was seized. The rest was kept under prohibitory orders.
‘Deceased accountant not summoned on Friday’
“Unaccounted gold and diamond jewellery of an approximate value of Rs 24.57 crore was found. Prohibitory orders were placed in several premises where a lot of paper and electronic documents are still to be examined. In those premises, search was temporarily concluded. In all other premises, search was finally concluded,” the official added.
The raids have come to an end in the wake of one of Martin’s staff, who was allegedly picked up by the I-T department for questioning two days back, being found dead in a waterbody near Karamadai on Friday.
The deceased, identified as Palanisamy (45), had been working with Martin Homoeopathy Medical College as an accountant for the last 20 years.
“It’s very unfortunate that human life was lost. The cause and motive will be established by police investigation. The search in his residence was concluded on Tuesday itself. Recording of his statement in the office complex was concluded on Thursday. He was neither called for questioning on Friday nor did he attend his office on Friday,” the official told Express.
Case against sleuths
Coimbatore rural police on Saturday registered a case against Income Tax department sleuths for abetting the alleged suicide of Martin group employee T Palanisamy.