BHOPAL: Two simultaneous searches by the Income Tax Department and state’s anti-corruption agency, Lokayukta Special Police Establishment (SPE) and seizure of a massive haul of unaccounted gold and Rs 11 crore cash from a MUV in Bhopal may lead to a plethora of Benami properties in Madhya Pradesh.
Ongoing probe by the Income Tax Department and Lokayukta SPE into the businesses of prominent real estate businessmen and property dealers, including Rajesh Sharma (a businessman considered close to a former Madhya Pradesh chief secretary) and ex-transport department constable-turned-real estate businessman Saurabh Sharma, may throw up series of high-value benami properties.
According to a highly-ranked IT Department official, incriminating evidence of several dozen suspected Benami properties/transactions have come up during the ongoing searches at four dozen-plus premises of three prominent real estate businesses and builders’ groups in Bhopal.
On the other hand, the IT department probe following the seizure of 52 kg unaccounted gold bullion and Rs 11 crore cash inside an MUV parked on the outskirts of Bhopal on Thursday-Friday intervening night, too might just be the starting point of unearthing of another series of suspected Benami assets/transactions.
Quizzing of Chetan Singh Gaur, who is the trusted aide of ex-transport department constable-turned real estate businessman Saurabh Sharma has revealed that though the concerned white colour MUV (which also bore hooters and an ‘RTO’ sticker) was registered in Gaur’s name in Gwalior RTO’s records, it was actually held and used by Sharma.
Sources privy to the ongoing IT probe have also divulged that not just was the MUV registered in Gaur’s name, but Sharma even held a fisheries contract in his same aide’s name. Further, a petrol pump too was being operated by Sharma in Gaur’s name only.
Further, the ex constable Sharma is believed to have invested into starting the franchise of a premier private school in Bhopal’s Shahpura area. The school (whose building is under-construction) which is likely to commence operations from the next academic session will be run by Sharma’s mother as its head, while his wife is the director of the same upcoming educational institution.
Sources privy to the ongoing probe into the MUV with gold and cash matter, added that the quizzing of Sharma’s key aide Gaur, which continued for the second day on Sunday, has led to some documentary evidence, which suggests that even a year after having taken VRS as transport department constable, Sharma wielded clout in the department.
Probe until now, particularly based on Gaur’s grilling and documentary evidence have led the IT department to unaccounted annual transactions worth around Rs 100 crores, involving some key officials of the department.
Meanwhile, the IT department searches at four dozen plus locations of some prominent builders, have led the sleuths to several dozen Benami properties spread across MP. Documents pertaining to the majority of those suspected Benami properties have been seized during the raids from one of the builders, who is believed to have key political and bureaucratic connections.
In a related development on Sunday, the opposition Congress alleged that those whose premises have been searched, including the prominent builders and the ex-transport department constable-turned-real estate businessman, are “small fries.” Action needs to be initiated against the big names behind these small fries.
“If a constable is possessing such huge unaccounted wealth, then imagine what would be the volume of unaccounted wealth of higher ups. The matter should be investigated from the level of a constable to CM,” former MP CM and Rajya Sabha member Digvijaya Singh said in Rajgarh on Sunday.
The deputy leader of opposition in the Vidhan Sabha, Hemant Katare too spoke on similar lines. “People like Rajesh Sharma and Saurabh Sharma are small fries. The properties held by the small fries could actually be the result of unaccounted investments made by the big guns. Probe is needed to expose those who are behind them. I’ll write to the Prime Minister’s Office seeking a high-level judicial probe into the entire series of episodes. I’ll also share with the enforcement agencies, including ED, Income Tax and CBI, the documents which contain information of a bureaucratic biggie being behind the small fries.”