RANCHI: After four consecutive days of searches by the Income Tax department at Congress’ Rajya Sabha MP Dheeraj Sahu’s residences and his Boudh Distillery premises in Jharkhand and Odisha, the department has seized close to Rs 300 crore in cash.
This is the highest-ever money haul by the agency in a single operation, a source said. As of now, notes worth Rs 290 crore have been counted. The volume of money is such that all cash-counting machines used for the operation conked off. About half-a-dozen counting machines were brought in but they broke down.
The department has brought in more machines for counting. Income Tax Department Director General Sanjay Bahadur told media persons that going by the volume of cash, it will take at least two more days to count them. Only after that the department may share information officially.
Besides the cash, the department seized three bags of jewelleries. The raids began on December 6. Till now 30 almirahs have been seized at Baldeo Sahu & Group of Companies, one the of the largest country-liquor manufacturers in Odisha. Of the 30 almirahs, nine were filled with bundles of currency notes of Rs 100, Rs 200 and Rs 500.
Baldeo Sahu & Group of Companies is reported to be a partnership firm of Boudh Distillery, which is linked to Dheeraj Sahu. Searches are being carried out at five different locations — in the Ranchi and Lohardaga residences of Sahu and in Odisha’s Bolangir, Sambalpur, and Kalahandi.
On Saturday, IT officials brought in printers photocopying machines, indicating they may have recovered some important documents from computers. In addition, they have seized Rs 7 crore from Sahu’s Lohardaga residence.
Reacting to the highest-ever haul, Union home minister Amit Shah said nobody would have seen such a pile of cash in their lifetime except bank employees. Congress leader Jairam Ramesh sought to build distance from Sahu, saying, “The Indian National Congress is in no way connected with the businesses of Dheeraj Sahu, MP. Only he can explain, and should explain, how huge amounts of cash have been reportedly unearthed.”