CHENNAI: In what is believed to be the largest ever cash seizure in Tamil Nadu by an enforcement agency, income-tax sleuths seized Rs 82 crore and estimated a possible tax evasion of Rs 400 crore.
A senior I-T official told Express that the raids were conducted in 20 different places after it was learnt that the institutions of the Balaji Educational and Charitable Public Trust were seeking donations for seats.
The institutions include Mahatma Gandhi Medical College and Research Institute, Puducherry, Sri Sathya Sai Medical College and Research Institute, Thiruporur, Kasturba Gandhi Nursing College, Pillaiyarkuppam, Puducherry, and Rajiv Gandhi College of Engineering and Technology, Kirumambakkam, Puducherry.
“The income-tax evasion is between Rs 350 crore to Rs 400 crore,” said the official.
In Puducherry, based on intelligence reports I-T officials seized Rs 41.5 crore from the house of a Trust staff in Aryankuppam. Similarly, Rs 31 crore was seized from a flat in Thiruporur near Sri Sathya Sai Medical College.
“We also came across evidence where the Trust was paying salary to its doctors partly through bank and partly in cash,” said the I-T official.
“This is an exclusive action by the I-T department and no other agencies like anti-corruption bureau (ACB) of CBI or anyone was involved,” he said. The raid ended on Saturday night.