Rs 329 cr seized after raids on Odisha distilleries: I-T dept

Bhubaneswar: The Income Tax department has seized undisclosed cash to the tune of Rs 351 crore after conducting a series of raids on the premises of several liquor traders in 10 districts of Odisha, Jharkhand and West Bengal recently.

The Income Tax department seized the cash after conducting raids on around 30 premises of liquor traders having close links with the family of Congress Rajya Sabha MP from Jharkhand Dhiraj Sahu.

A substantial portion of the cash, around Rs 329 crore, was unearthed and seized from the premises of liquor traders at Sudapada and Titlagarh in Balangir district and Khetarajpur in Sambalpur district in Odisha, said the I-T department in a statement today.

The cash was basically unearthed from dilapidated buildings and hidden chambers. The I-T sleuths have also seized unaccounted jewellery worth Rs 2.8 crore during the search operation.

During the search operation, incriminating evidence in the form of documents and digital data were seized by the I-T department.

Preliminary analysis of the seized documents revealed records of unaccounted sales of country liquor, details of undisclosed cash receipts and references for movement of unaccounted cash, added the department.

The employees of the liquor firms have admitted that the cash unearthed by the I-T sleuths are basically unaccounted in nature, said the department.