BHOPAL: Extensive searches by the Income Tax Department started on Thursday at the premises of edible oil business group owned by the family of Madhya Pradesh Congress MLA Nilay Daga in three states.
The searches began at around 18 locations in Betul and Satna in BJP-ruled MP, Mumbai and Solapur in Maharashtra and TMC-ruled West Bengal’s capital Kolkata.
In Betul, the home district of the powerful Daga family in Madhya Pradesh, the searches were carried out at around seven locations by the IT department team, which went in the garb of a wedding procession on the raided locations. The raided locations included the family’s residential premises, factories and also a school in Betul district.
Searches also started at the group’s oil unit in Satna district of MP, besides factories in Solapur and the corporate office and related premises in Mumbai. An associated search was also carried out in one premise related to the group in Kolkata.
According to key sources in the IT department, the business group is primarily engaged in the business of solvent extraction, refining of edible oils, oil seeds development and manufacture of animal feeds, besides trading of de-oiled cakes.
The Betul Oil Limited Group is one the leading integrated processors of soybean and sunflower seeds in the country, having solvent extraction units at Betul and Satna in MP and Solapur in Maharashtra.
The business group also operates two wind energy power generation units in Maharashtra’s Dhule and MP’s Dewas. The group’s products are marketed across 17 states in the country, sources added.
While the searches are likely to continue for at least the next couple of days, on the first day, the IT department sleuths have seized some incriminating digital records, which could lead to significant unaccounted income.
Sources added that the ongoing searches have also led to documents pertaining to the Group’s key players being into credit business and real estate trade. The searches have also led the income tax sleuths to at least five bank lockers so far.