'Unearthed Rs 184 cr black income in Pawar kin-related raids'

MUMBAI: The Income Tax Department, which raided at least 70 premises allegedly linked with Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar and others last week, said it has unearthed proof of unaccounted incomes of around Rs 184 crore, officials said on Friday.

The IT Department sleuths had swooped on unnamed two realty companies in Mumbai, and other unidentified individuals/entities associated with them, during the raids simultaneously carried out in Pune and Baramati, as well as in Goa and Jaipur.

The sleuths gathered evidence of prima-facie unaccounted and 'benami' transactions, incriminating documents, etc from the two realty groups of around Rs 184 crore. The operations led them to further transactions by the groups through a web of companies which appear to be suspicious, said the department. A preliminary analysis of the flow of funds indicates pumping unaccounted money in the group through dubious methods like introduction of fake share premium, questionable unsecured loans, receipt of unsubstantiated advance for certain services, collusive arbitration deals out of non-existent disputes, etc. "It has been observed that such suspicious flow of funds has taken place with the involvement of an influential family of Maharashtra," the ITD said without identifying the concerned family.

These funds were further utilised to invest in assets like prime office buildings in Mumbai, a flat in a posh Delhi locality, a resort in Goa, farmlands and investments in sugar mills in Maharashtra, with a total book value of around Rs 170 crore. Besides, the IT Department recovered and seized Rs 2.13 crore cash and jewellery worth Rs 4.32 crore during the raids.

Nationalist Congress Party President Sharad Pawar and his nephew Ajit Pawar had slammed the BJP government at the Centre for hounding political opponents by misusing central agencies like the Income Tax Department, the Enforcement Directorate, the Central Bureau of Investigation, the Narcotics Control Bureau, etc, with a new pattern of "targetting relatives" of the politicians. (IANS)

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