COIMBATORE: In one the biggest-ever cash hauls in Tamil Nadu, the Income Tax department is believed to have seized around Rs 32 crore of unaccounted money from the hatchery of a private poultry farm at Pollachi in Coimbatore district in a search operation that started late on Monday. Though Election Commission sources ruled out any poll link to the money seizure, a full probe will be conducted separately, they said.
According to sources, a team of 10 I-T officials, acting on a tip-off, visited the administrative office of MBS Hatcheries located at Water Tank Street of Alagappa Layout in Venkatesa Colony in Pollachi town on Monday morning.
Simultaneously, another team visited the fodder production unit of the firm on Kollupalayam Road near Unjavelampatti in Pollachi, and carried out searches. As of 8pm Tuesday, the searches were still going on. After confirming the unaccounted cash stash, the I-T officials brought staff from State Bank of India, Pollachi branch, to count the money on Monday.
Raid was I-T department’s independent action: Official
The Income Tax depratment team also sought police protection from Pollachi DSP V Jayachandran and armed police personnel were deployed to prevent outsiders from entering the firm’s offices.
The Income Tax department teams continued to count the cash and examine documents at the office throughout the night, sources said.
On Tuesday afternoon, they shifted the cash to the SBI bank and from there it was transferred to their currency chest, sources said.
The company, suspected to be owned by brothers Arul Murugu and Saravana Murugu of Pollachi, has branches across the state.
According to sources, the Coimbatore district election officials are planning to investigate the issue to find out if the money was brought into the district for being distributed to voters.
A senior election officer, however, said it was the Income Tax department’s independent operation.
“Since the model code of conduct is in place, the income tax department should inform the Election Commission of India and submit a report on the money seizure. Preliminary investigations revealed that it is not related to election. But the ECI will hold a separate investigation into the seizure,” the officer said.
I-T seizes Rs 4cr in Tiruchy
ED teams search 25 places in drug case
The ED on Tuesday, with the protection of central paramilitary forces, carried out searches at more than 25 places in Chennai, Madurai and Tiruchy as part of a drug trafficking-linked money laundering probe against former DMK functionary Jaffer Sadiq, sources said.
Properties belonging to film director Ameer were also searched by the ED in Santhome and Purusaiwalkam. Meanwhile, in a recent search operation at multiple places across Tiruchy district linked to PWD contractors, the I-T department has seized about Rs 3.79 crore in unaccounted cash, sources said