I-T raids unearth Rs 355 cr cash stash linked to Congress MP across 9 locations

NEW DELHI: The Income Tax Department raided an Odisha-based distillery company, on Monday, linked to Congress MP Dheeraj Prasad Sahu’s family, recovering Rs 355 crore demarcating it as the “highest ever” single action haul by any probe agency in the country.

 

The search operation, initiated on December 6, targeted properties associated with Boudh Distillery Private Limited, its promoters, and other stakeholders. The accounting process involved more than 50 employees of the State Bank of India (SBI) using over 25 machines. During the counting, a few machines had also started malfunctioning due to overheating.

 

FLASH: IT raids in Odisha’s Bolangir district reveal staggering cash seizures totaling Rs 305 crore.

The ‘highest-ever’ single-action haul prompts intense counting efforts with 25 machines and 50 bank staff involved.

Raids span Sudpada distillery, Dhanupali liquor unit, and… pic.twitter.com/R82RYFVuaK

— The New Indian (@TheNewIndian_in) December 10, 2023

 

The seized cash, transported using 200 bags and trunks, was deposited in various bank branches across Odisha. The milestone was achieved with the department deeming the entire recovered cache as “unaccounted” money earned from country liquor sales by the stakeholders.

 

The raids also covered premises related to Sahu, with the company and the MP remaining silent on the ongoing investigations. Presently, the I-T department is recording statements of company executives and the staff present during the searches, and has also planned to summon the main promoters of the company for further inquiry.

 

ALSO READ: I-T raids linked to Odisha Congress MP unearth Rs 290 cr

 

As the counting continues in Ranchi and Bolangir, the probe agency has assured a thorough assessment before concluding the operation. Home Minister Amit Shah criticised the opposition’s “propaganda” on central agencies, asserting that it was driven by fears of their corruption being exposed.

 

देशवासी इन नोटों के ढेर को देखें और फिर इनके नेताओं के ईमानदारी के ‘भाषणों’ को सुनें… 😂😂😂

जनता से जो लूटा है, उसकी पाई-पाई लौटानी पड़ेगी, यह मोदी की गारंटी है।

❌❌❌💵 💵 💵❌❌❌ pic.twitter.com/O2pEA4QTOj

— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) December 8, 2023

 

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday assured the people that the money looted from the public will be returned.

 

Taking to X, the PM said, “The countrymen should look at the pile of these notes and then listen to the honest speeches of their leaders… Whatever has been looted from the public, every penny will have to be returned; this is Modi’s guarantee.”

The Congress has distanced itself from its Jharkhand MP, although Karnataka CM Siddaramaiah accused the Centre of targeting only the Congress, prompting Tourism Minister G Kishan Reddy to question Rahul Gandhi’s silence.

 

“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 by the income-tax authorities from his properties,” AICC general secretary Communications Jairam Ramesh said in a post on X.

Officials from the I-T Department confirmed that the raids were underway at nine locations across Jharkhand, Odisha and West Bengal. They are slated to interrogate the Congress MP after the accounting of seizures was over with in Ranchi.

कांग्रेस के भ्रष्टाचार के नोटों की गिनती खत्म ही नहीं हो रही है! #CongressWithCorruption https://t.co/wX2Yz9W2ut pic.twitter.com/4Ld9rIwMoT

— Kiren Rijiju (@KirenRijiju) December 11, 2023